Russian-Ukrainian war: Ukrainians brace for winter blasts amid missile strikes

Kyiv, Ukraine (KGO) — Eight months later, the war in Ukraine escalates. Russian missiles destroyed parts of the power grid and left millions in the dark.

“The current situation is tough. It’s tough,” Mark Savchuk said in an interview from Ukraine, noting that some areas only get a few hours of electricity a day, while others don’t. .

“I have no idea if they’ll be able to fix it and bring it back to six or seven hours a day,” he said, adding that as winter weather rapidly approaches, areas that were once occupied by Russia are the most vulnerable.

“Very many people, especially in the liberated territories, have no access to anything,” Savtchouk said. “They can’t even wash their clothes, they can’t do anything because the Russians destroyed all the infrastructure.”

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“That’s the big worry right now. It’s the falling temperatures and how people are going to deal with that,” said Rachel Harvey, ShoeBox program manager for Ukraine. The non-profit organization is based in the UK and Santa Barbara.

“When it comes to winter, you don’t have heat or electricity for light and water because you need electricity to run the water, which gets serious,” said Harvey.

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The team helps people prepare their war-torn homes for winter. “We provide wood spacers with hardware to repair roofs. We provide clear plastic sheeting and foam sealant to replace windows,” Harvey said. “We provide solid fuel stoves and a supply of firewood for the winter, then winter clothes for people, and thermal blankets.”

Solar will also play a vital role in getting people through this winter safely, she added.

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“Things like solar lights, it’s a pretty simple thing to use, a small piece of kit, but it’s really important and makes a huge difference to people getting on with their lives.”

If you want to help people in Ukraine, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of verified groups and nonprofits.

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