2024 – Liudmyla Shramko flees Kyiv with her twin daughters, relocating to western Ukraine to escape shelling and blackouts, and later endures 16‑hour winter outages while relying on portable power stations, illustrating how families reorganize for energy security[7].

1950s‑1960s – Ukraine’s housing stock consists mainly of Soviet‑era “panelki” and “khrushchevki” that depend on centralized heating plants (TETs), a legacy system not designed for missile or drone attacks and now exposing millions to winter vulnerability[1].

Dec 16, 2025 – DTEK’s CEO Maxim Timchenko reports that Russian drones, cruise and ballistic missiles strike the grid every 3‑4 days, forcing the company into permanent crisis mode, spending $166 million on repairs, and losing eight engineers while Odesa suffers multi‑day blackouts[3].

Jan 2, 2026 – Rolling blackouts hit Kyiv after December strikes leave more than 40 % of residential buildings without heat; average outages reach 9.5 hours per day, prompting cafés to switch to diesel generators and civilians to improvise showers and meals amid “uncertainty is the hardest part” sentiment[7].

Jan 11, 2026 – Kyiv restores heating to about 85 % of apartment blocks after a week‑long outage that affected roughly 700 000 consumers; the Prime Minister declares Russia targets energy infrastructure daily, while Ukrenergo orders emergency cuts to repair heavily damaged systems[6].

Jan 13, 2026 – Russia launches a second major strike on the power grid, firing almost 300 drones, 18 ballistic missiles and seven cruise missiles across eight regions, knocking out heat in over 500 residential buildings in Kyiv and prompting U.N. officials to warn of a dangerous escalation[12].

Jan 13, 2026 – In a separate barrage, more than 300 drones, 18 ballistic missiles and seven cruise missiles hit energy facilities, leaving hundreds of thousands of Kyiv households without power, disabling about 500 high‑rise buildings’ heating and prompting Mayor Klitschko to note the acute electricity shortage for critical infrastructure[5].

Jan 14, 2026 – Two “Invincibility” train carriages park on a Kyiv platform with diesel engines running, delivering warmth and basic services to dozens cut off from power; President Zelensky accuses Russia of “deliberately exploiting the bitter winter” while Mayor Klitschko urges residents who can to evacuate the capital[2].

Jan 15, 2026 – Emergency repair crews in Boryspil work around the clock to rebuild burned‑out lines, restoring roughly four hours of power daily before demand triggers another collapse, highlighting the fragility of the grid and the heroic role of energy workers alongside the military[10].

Jan 16, 2026 – Emergency tents in Kyiv and nearby towns provide heat, charging stations and free food as residents endure the coldest winter in years; electricians replace a transformer burned out by a voltage surge caused by continual Russian air attacks[11].

Jan 20, 2026 – Russia fires more than 300 drones and missiles at Ukraine’s grid, cutting heat to 5,600 Kyiv buildings; Kyiv Mayor Klitschko reports 80 % of those buildings regain heating after the Jan 9 assault, while Ukraine’s negotiating team lands in the United States to push for post‑war security guarantees that could be signed at Davos, and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev plans meetings with U.S. officials at the summit[9].

Jan 24, 2026 – Russian strikes on Soviet‑era heating plants leave ~6,000 Kyiv apartments without heat, prompting energy analyst Yuriy Korolchuk to label attacks on central‑heating infrastructure a “new Russian tactic” linked to war‑negotiation dynamics, and the Ukrainian government announces plans to mandate private heating units for apartment blocks[1].

Jan 24, 2026 – Rolling blackouts force Kyiv residents like 53‑year‑old Olena Janchuk to climb 650 steps daily to a 19th‑floor flat, use a brick fireplace and power‑bank‑fed electric blanket, while disability groups demand generators for high‑rise towers; a joint World Bank, EU and UN estimate puts damage to Ukraine’s energy sector at over $20 billion[8].

Feb 3, 2026 – Russia resumes its largest night strike of the year, launching 70 missiles and 450 drones at six oblasts, cutting heat to nearly 1,200 high‑rise buildings in Kyiv and leaving over 50,000 people without electricity in Odesa; President Zelensky cites the attacks as targeting power facilities, DTEK’s Timchenko says the firm operates in “survival mode,” and the Kremlin confirms the next round of Russia‑Ukraine‑U.S. cease‑fire talks will occur in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday[4].