Freezing on the front line: The Ukrainians struggling to survive in -26C cold with scarce food and no power
As three-way peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US stall, freezing Ukrainians say they are struggling to feed their families while Putin’s relentless assault continues.
Russian forces began the year by ramping up their strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging large swathes of the country into darkness.
Ukraine is suffering its coldest winter in more than a decade, and without power, many of its people have been unable to cook meals while temperatures plummet as low as -26C.
The latest round of talks did little to boost the optimism of Ukrainians now facing a fresh crisis in aid-starved frontline regions, with declining volunteer numbers and food supplies proving scarce.
“I feel despair,” says Tetiana Usachova, 36, a mother of two small children with retired parents who were internally displaced from the Donetsk region.
“I want to give the best to my children. But prices have risen sharply, and social benefits from the state are meager. My children need vegetables, meat, fish, fruits, and cheese. But there is not enough money.”
Families in the so-called “red zones” have been forced to make a single week’s worth of flour and basic medicine last for 90 days, while living under constant Russian bombardment, according to Ukrainian charity Hope for Ukraine.
Deliveries that used to be made weekly are now only taking place only once every three months.
Where urgent requests from civilians in frontline regions once focused on medical supplies, increasingly desperate pleas are being made for some of the most simple kitchen staples: bread, rice and flour.
The energy and food crises in Ukraine are closely intertwined. During the blackouts, an economy already on the brink is forced into further shutdown.
Food is already scarce, but increasingly so is the money with which to buy it, with household income strained for most and almost non-existent for others.
Grocery prices have been rising again, a result of a winter that has left hundreds of thousands of families without light or heating.
Reprieve from the freezing weather appears distant, as temperatures once again plummeted well below zero across the war-ravaged country this week.
The World Central Kitchen has expanded its emergency meals response, having already served 130,000 hot meals to people affected by the ongoing power outages.
