Ukraine endures its bitterest winter as Russia targets heating and power

The military chaplain Anton Rybikov, 39, hugs his two-year-old son Matvii as he heats a metal churn with water, trying to warm his apartment during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by recent Russian missile and drone attacks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 18, 2026. REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov

KYIV, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Collecting snow for water at ‌home; sleeping in gloves, coats and hats; heating bricks on gas stoves for warmth; erecting tents indoors - Kyiv residents are doing everything they can to survive the coldest, darkest winter of the war.

"When ‌there is no electricity, there is no heating: it means the apartment freezes," said Anton Rybikov, father of three-year-old David and two-year-old Matvii, speaking to Reuters in their home, where he ‌and his wife Marina have stocked up on backup batteries and sleeping bags.