Kyiv Mayor Urges Freezing Residents to Leave as Russia Attacks

A resident looks at damage to a residential building following a Russian attack, in Kyiv, on Jan. 9.Photographer: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg

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January 9, 2026 at 1:10 PM UTC

Kyiv’s mayor made an unprecedented call to residents to seek temporary refuge outside the Ukrainian capital after a Russian aerial barrage triggered widespread shortages amid frigid temperatures.

Vitali Klitschko made the plea after large swathes of the city were hit by disruptions to heating, water and power supplies — a hardship for residents already contending with temperatures set to drop to as low as -17C (1F) in the coming days.