"Kyiv might lose power, water and heat supply," Mayor Vitali Klitschko told Reuters in an interview. "The apocalypse might happen, like in Hollywood films, when it's not possible to live in homes considering the low temperature."
The former boxing champion-turned-mayor admitted that the Ukrainian capital lacks enough heated shelters to accommodate its 3.6 million residents in the event of complete outages.
"We have prepared nearly 500 autonomous heating hubs at present," said Klitschko. "But for a city of three million, 500 points is nothing."
Klitschko described one possible apocalyptic scenario in which Kyiv could be left without central heating until spring. Temperatures in Ukraine during winter can fall to as low as -15 C (5 F).
"If electricity supply continues to be absent while outside temperatures remain low, we will unfortunately be forced to drain water from buildings. Otherwise, the water can freeze and break the entire water supply network, and buildings will then be totally unfit for further use."
Given this, he called on people to be "ready to evacuate" if the situation worsens. Residents must prepare emergency supplies of food and water, as well as clothes and documents in case there's a need for a quick evacuation.
But there's no need to evacuate the city at present, according to Klitschko. Kyiv only has a 20 percent power deficit and conditions remain stable, he added.
"Right now, there is heating in Kyiv, there is electricity. Everything works," the mayor said. "We are fighting and doing everything we can to make sure that this does not happen."
Russian airstrikes cripple Kyiv's power, water supply
Klitschko's remarks in the interview came more than a month after Russian airstrikes crippled Ukraine's vital infrastructure. In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that "the Russian Armed Forces continued to launch strikes with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons against Ukrainian military and energy facilities."
"The goals of the strikes were successful, [and] all assigned objects were hit."
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, meanwhile, confirmed that the airstrikes directly hit 18 sites linked to energy.
"Missiles and drones hit 10 regions where 18 sites were damaged, most of them energy-related," he wrote on Telegram. "Hundreds of settlements in seven regions of Ukraine were cut off."
But even before the airstrikes, Ukrainian officials estimated that 40 percent of the country's electrical power systems had been severely damaged. They urged households to limit their electricity consumption, especially with non-essential large appliances. Moreover, they warned average Ukrainians to prepare for long-term power outages as a frigid winter is just around the corner.
True enough, Klitschko announced the capital's grim situation on Telegram. He stated in a post that the fresh round of airstrikes from Russia left 80 percent of Kyiv residents without water and some 350,000 homes without electricity. (Related: Much of Kiev without power and water following latest round of missile strikes from Russia.)
"Just in case, we ask you to stock up on water from the nearest pumps and points of sale," he advised. The office of the Kyiv mayor also vowed to restore water supply in affected areas, adding that emergency utility crews are urgently working on the matter.
Head over to Collapse.news for more stories about Ukraine's impending dark winter.
Watch Sebastian Gorka of Newsmax discusses with former U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie how winter will affect the Russia-Ukraine war.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
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Zelensky accuses Russia of turning winter into a weapon of mass destruction.
Your government wants you to go broke, freeze to death, and starve — for Ukraine.
Ukrainians preparing for WORST WINTER of their lives as days-long blackouts loom.
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