'It is time to abandon the obvious lie that Russia is interested in peace'

Yuliia Dolotova, 37, receives hot food at a distribution point during a power outage (Image: AP)

This winter in Kyiv is truly cold, and when temperatures drop to around -25°C, 20-hour power outages mean much more than darkness. In many buildings, heat and water disappear together with electricity, or heating and running water are only possible when the power is on, because the systems depend on pumps and boiler stations.

If electricity is restored for just a few hours a day, the building often does not have time to warm up, and people are left freezing. Everyday life turns into a constant attempt to catch those short “windows” of power, but outage schedules keep changing. Sometimes electricity comes back at night when people are asleep, or during the day when most are at work. In high-rises, there is another layer of hardship: without power, elevators do not work, and climbing to the 10th floor several times a day becomes a physical challenge, especially for elderly people, people with disabilities, and families with small children.

Russia poses 'danger' to The West warns Inna Sovsun

We have learned to adapt to blackouts to some extent, but living without heat is far harder. My aide and close friend has a temperature of around one degree Celsius in her flat because her building has been without heating for weeks. In these conditions, some families are forced to leave Kyiv temporarily, or rely on heaters powered by portable charging stations like EcoFlow, if they can get them.

Most of the damage to the grid is repairable, and our energy workers prove this every day. They work around the clock, often under the threat of repeat strikes, and that is why the workers manage to get the system running again. But Russia is deliberately creating a vicious cycle. The moment we stabilize the situation and give people more hours of electricity and heat, another attack follows, and we are forced to rebuild again, sometimes in even harsher conditions.

Warmer weather can bring some relief by reducing peak demand on the system. But it does not solve the problem. The key question is whether we can protect energy facilities from repeated strikes. Stronger air defense and a sufficient supply of interceptors are the only path to real, lasting improvement.

These strikes are exhausting society because we have already spent three years living under sirens and a constant threat to life. Our most basic need for safety is still unmet, and when you also lose electricity, water, and heat, it hits both your mental state and your physical health. In these conditions it is very hard to find any sense of stability. The stress is constant, and it accumulates.

The upper floors of a multi-storey building burn after debris from a Russia drone falls (Image: Global Images Ukraine via Getty)

Another part of the price is the loss of basic predictability, and that destroys routine in everything. In uncertainty, you have to keep a household running, keep working, and make sure your children can study, often without stable conditions and without knowing what the next hour will bring. You are constantly adapting and juggling basic needs. And this is exactly what Russia is trying to achieve: to make civilian life exhausting, unstable, and unbearable, forcing people into survival mode.

I do not believe that Kyiv is doomed to become uninhabitable. The city is still functioning. People go to work, essential services keep the city running, and we see many grassroots initiatives: residents are teaming up, looking for practical solutions, buying generators for critical needs in their homes, supporting each other and municipal workers.

But we also have to be honest: living here right now is extremely difficult. The risk of local humanitarian crises is rapidly increasing in areas where there has been no heating or water for weeks and the cold weather continues.

The city has expanded its network of "Points of Resilience, where people can warm up, charge their devices, get reliable access to electricity and the internet, and drink hot tea. Businesses are also joining this initiative and creating such points on their own initiative.

The real solution lies in improving our ability to stop attacks on critical infrastructure. Physical protection of energy facilities is important, but it is expensive, slow and cannot keep pace with the rate of attacks. The most effective tool is air defence and a sufficient supply of interception missiles, as this stops the strike before it hits.

Kyiv is paying with normal life, with heat, light, and basic safety. But the heaviest burden is carried by Ukrainian soldiers. At -25°C, under constant threat to their lives, they hold the front line day after day. They pay with their health and their lives so this war does not spill further into Europe.

We are deeply grateful to our partners, including the United Kingdom, for standing with Ukraine. Supporting our defence is not only about our sovereignty. It is also a direct investment in Europe’s safety. Ukraine’s defence is Europe’s defence.

This shows clearly that Putin has no intention of moving toward peace. When Russia continues to deliberately strike energy infrastructure and civilians, this is not a signal of readiness to negotiate. Russia has failed to achieve victory on the battlefield and, after almost 12 years of war, still has not been able to fully seize Donbas, which it now tries to bargain for at the negotiating table.

Instead, it is trying to break Ukraine’s rear by making civilian life unbearable, including through systematic attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukraine responds to every peace initiative, but it is impossible to reach an agreement with a side that imitates negotiations while escalating strikes.

For Donald Trump and for the West more broadly, the conclusion should be straightforward. Putin treats promises as a tactical tool and tests whether there will be any real reaction when he breaks them. It is time to abandon illusions about Russia’s interest in peace. With Russia, only pressure works: sanctions, their real enforcement, and genuine strengthening of Ukraine’s defence. We can already see that Russia begins to adjust its behaviour only when sanctions start to seriously affect its economy. Further pressure is the only path toward a real settlement, not another pause before the next attack.

Inna Sovsun is a Ukrainian MP and former government minister