«I'm looking at the thermometer now — it's +13 at home». A Belarusian from Kyiv told how her family is surviving this difficult winter

Kyiv, January 15, 2026. Photo: Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images

«To warm up, we constantly drink hot beverages: tea, coffee, water with lemon»

— Yesterday (we are speaking on January 22 — "Salidarnasts") we had no electricity until morning. It came on somewhere around three in the morning — I got up to put all my gadgets on charge, and by morning there was no electricity again, — says Inha (name changed at the request of the heroine — "Salidarnasts"). At the same time, there was no connection either — messages hardly came through. The electricity only appeared late in the evening.

The most annoying thing is that you don't know when the electricity will come on, or if it will come on at all, because before there were schedules — you could plan work and household chores. Now it's impossible.

As for heating, we were lucky here — it was completely absent for only one day. But now the radiators are barely warm. In one room it's more or less okay, but in the other it's very cold. I'm looking at the thermometer now — it's +13 at home. I'm currently wearing three layers of clothes, two pairs of socks (one of which is wool), and fur slippers, which people usually laughed at, but now they are the trend of 2026 in Kyiv.

Now the whole family has moved into one room, as it's easier to conserve heat that way. The cats also sleep with us. We cover ourselves with several blankets and throws. We close the doors to other rooms so as not to lose heat.

We also bought portable chargers and hung battery-operated garlands. We pretend that we have a romantic atmosphere, not a blackout. These garlands really help and create a mood.

We also have various lamps — thanks to AliExpress. Another life hack is chemical hand warmers or hot water bottles that can be placed under a blanket. Plus, we're lucky — we have water and a gas stove, so cooking is not a problem. To warm up, we constantly drink hot beverages: tea, coffee, water with lemon.

«I can't afford to wash my hair»

Inha says that her body has already gotten used to air raid sirens at night, so when the siren sounds, she doesn't wake up:

— But when the electricity comes on at night and the refrigerator turns on, I hear that sound. Perhaps it's because my psyche hasn't gotten used to such a sound at night yet. So I wake up and run to put everything on charge. Then I can't fall asleep for an hour or two. Overall, sleep is very interrupted. During the day, this is felt; there is fatigue. But these are the conditions now.

Among household problems is also the inability to wash my hair. I have long hair, it takes about 2.5 hours for it to dry. But it's very cold in the apartment now, so I can't afford to do it, because I'll freeze. So we wait for electricity, quickly wash our hair, and dry it with a hairdryer.

It's also difficult to be sick. My daughter recently needed to do inhalations 4-5 times a day. But our inhaler runs on electricity. Going to an "Invincibility Point" (places providing essentials during blackouts) where there is electricity is not really an option for a sick child.

So I found and bought a special cable that I connected to the inhaler and a power bank. Thanks to this, my daughter recovered. Later, this cable fit the router, and if you connect it to a portable charger, you can get Wi-Fi for a while.

«People say that in such times you want to treat yourself to something beautiful»

The woman's daughter is not going to school now — students' holidays have been extended until February 1 at the expense of spring holidays. In addition, the school year in Kyiv will end a week later.

Inha, meanwhile, is not working full-time. The woman owns a vintage shop, where it's impossible to stay for long due to the cold.

— The situation in the shop is very difficult now, because the heating there runs on electricity. When there's no electricity (and there isn't for most of the day), it's very cold there. So now we work on a reduced schedule — approximately from 13:00 to 17:00, when there is daylight. We hope to return to our usual schedule soon, but for now, we are at least trying to keep the shop running like this.

But, you know, this shop doesn't sell essential goods — not food and not a pharmacy, but people still buy something. They are looking for something for themselves or as a gift for loved ones. And this is very motivating to continue working. People say that in such times, you want to treat yourself to something beautiful.

«To live, to hope for spring, sun, victory»

— Of course, you can feel that everyone is very tired. But that doesn't mean we're in a panic and hysteria here. On the contrary, people are more focused, looking for life hacks: what to do, how to warm up, how to help.

There is no sense of catastrophe, although the situation is almost catastrophic for such a large city as Kyiv, which currently has such difficult living conditions. Not even living, but survival, which anyone who doesn't live here can follow online.

We live in stress every day. Add to this the constant attacks. I'm talking to you now, and a siren is sounding outside the window. And so it is every day. But this is our choice — to stay here, to do something. To live, to hope for spring, sun, victory. We are holding on.

In my circle, in my family's circle, there is no one who would say something like there is no way to endure all this and we must capitulate, and let Russia come, they say. I don't even understand who could say that, when Russia does such things to people it supposedly "liberates". Liberates from what — normal life, warmth, water, sewage?

These actions by Russia work in reverse, and there is no panic among people. And Kyiv is generally not a city that stops. Cafes, shops are open, there are goods on the shelves, medicines in pharmacies. It is a living city in the broadest sense of the word.

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