Europe’s self-styled pacifists are helping Putin freeze Ukrainians in their homes

As it gets colder and darker, I think of my Ukrainian friends. Russian bombing campaigns this year have targeted power and heating facilities, hoping to break morale and leave Ukrainians sitting in the cold and dark come winter. This past weekend alone, strikes on the high-voltage substations around the capital left 80 to 85 percent of Kyiv’s consumers without power. And it could get much worse. Last year, people were left without power and heating for much of the winter. It was often the elderly living in poorly insulated older homes at minus 20 degrees who suffered the most. The state has so far not succeeded in transitioning from the Soviet-era regulated system towards a more decentralised, more resilient energy system. But that doesn’t mean Ukrainian’s haven’t already started building parts of it themselves. I visited the country in May to document how people were preparing for another harrowing winter by building bespoke back-up systems in their gardens, their sheds; on their roofs. Across the country, small solar plants and battery storage systems went up to keep hospitals running and to make sure children did not have to sit in the dark in their schools’ bomb shelters for too long. New energy cooperatives have popped up all over Kyiv to pool scarce know-how in a country where the energy system still relies on a handful of giant Soviet-era power plants. We don’t talk about this enough at home, but a lot of these local and communal projects could not have been done without EU loans. To read this story, log in or subscribeEnjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a subscriber for as low as €1,75 per week.Read without limitsAlready a subscriber? Login