LVIV, LVIVSKA, UKRAINE – 2022/01/28: Ukrainian soldiers in winter camouflage seen during a military … [+]
In short: by being resourceful and receiving a raft of assistance from the rest of the world.
After a summer that saw Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin’s military forces lose gains on the ground to Ukrainian forces, Russia has made clear that its latest strategy is to freeze the country out by attacking its energy infrastructure.
Electricity, heating and fuel resources have been targeted by Russian missile strikes in Kyiv and elsewhere in the country, which is known for its bitter winters.
A worker examines destructions as he repairs equipments of power lines destroyed after a missile … [+]
Illia Ponomarenko, a reporter with the Kyiv Independent, reports that Ukrainians, who have long been known as leaders and early adopters in the tech sector among other eastern European nations, have been taking advantage of technology to stay warm.
He says numerous businesses have required large generators to keep things running, which are paired with batteries to keep a source of juice handy for when the power goes out due to another Russian strike or a blackout.
“ I get myself a charging station, and if things are really bad, I can turn the boiler on for a couple of hours a day and sustain more or less acceptable air temperature at home,” Ponomarenko writes on Twitter. “And I can recharge the thing… There’s always a way to recharge.”
On Saturday, the European Commission announced it is sending 40 large generators to Ukraine. Each power source is large enough to power an entire hospital.
This follows an announcement by the Pentagon that the US Defense Department will send 200 generators to the Ukrainian Defense Forces on top of a winter equipment package, “which included tents, heaters, and several thousand pieces of cold weather gear.”
Humanitarian aid to help keep the lights on and Ukrainians warm has also been rolling in from multiple UN agencies, the US government, European Union and smaller governments and aid agencies around the world.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry also reports that its soldiers stay in good spirits and generate a little warmth of their own by more unorthodox means… like doing a Pikachu dance here and there.
As Ponomarenko reports, resources may be pricey but they can be found.
“There’s always a way to survive the winter of Russian missile terror,” he writes. “This winter is one giant pain in the ass, but Russia has no chance to derail the Ukrainian morale by wiping out our critical infrastructure. Everyone in Ukraine is finding a way to carry on while the clock is ticking for the Kremlin.”
