Ukrainians Struggle with Scorching Heat Amid Electricity Crisis

JAKARTA - One night, a mother from Ukraine, Margaryta Zakharchuk, wandered around her neighborhood in the sweltering heat waiting for the electricity to come back on so she could take the elevator to her apartment on the 12th floor.

“We hang out outside until 10 o'clock, so we don't have to go up with two children,” he said.

Zakharchuk, 43, is one of millions of Ukrainians struggling amid a record heat wave made worse by regular power outages that render household appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators useless.

Reviewed by Reuters, routine Russian airstrikes have damaged the country's energy system, causing hours-long rolling power outages that have forced residents and businesses to adapt to the extreme heat.

The Central Geophysical Observatory said on Tuesday, July 16, that it had recorded a high of 93.5 degrees Fahrenheit (34.2 degrees Celsius) in Kyiv on July 15. Temperatures on Tuesday are expected to reach even higher.

Zakharchuk, for example, is limited in cooking for her family of four because food spoils more quickly, she said.

Like most Ukrainians, her daily life is divided into blocks of time when electricity is available.

“The lights come on and you start doing everything: washing, ironing, cooking, charging all your devices,” she said as she put her one-year-old daughter, Vasilisa, into the sink.

Zakharchuk said her family had considered leaving the city, but the option to do so was not available.

At a nearby shop, shopkeeper Vika said she started ordering fewer dairy products such as milk and butter. Prices also rise to cover generator operating costs.

“It's all costs,” said the 37-year-old woman, who said the shop's power goes out for about six to eight hours per day.

The extreme heat is also having a broader impact on Ukraine's economy, and state forecasters said on Tuesday that late harvests could decline by up to 30% in central, southern and eastern regions.

Power grid operator Ukrenergo on Tuesday announced a new emergency power shutdown for some consumers in seven regions – but excluding the capital – due to a heat wave following electrical equipment failures.

“Last night there was an equipment failure at one of the energy facilities. The energy deficit in the system is increasing," she said via the Telegram messaging application.

The Ministry of Energy has urged consumers to save energy and minimize the use of high-power electrical equipment to maintain the stability of the power grid.

Standing outside the building holding her baby, Zakharchuk lamented that transporting a stroller to her apartment was not an option.

"Now the journey back home is still long," she said.