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Kyiv Residents Line Up At Wells After City Loses Running Water


KYIV, Ukraine – From old stone wells in the heart of ancient Kyiv to metal stakes in markets across the sprawling metropolis, residents lined up on Monday to refill jugs and bottles later Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure left much of the capital without running water for hours.

Maksym Khaurat, 31, has suffered from prolonged power outages, a lack of heat in his apartment and failed internet connection. Dehydration is different.

“We can live without heat and light,” he said. This was the first time he was unable to fill a glass of water from the faucet, take a shower or flush his toilet.

In the wake of the latest attack on Ukraine’s infrastructure, public opinion has returned to the capital. While energy consumption across the country remains 30% below pre-war levels, in Kyiv it is back to roughly before the Russian invasion in late February.

Mr Khaurat said tens of thousands of people living near the front lines had endured worse hardships for months. Cities were laid to waste by Russian forces, displacing millions and forcing those who remained to live an almost medieval existence.

“I am angry,” he said. “Angry that man in Russia. I hate him.”

By Monday evening, water service in Kyiv had been partially restored. Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, said 40% of the city’s residents were still without water as of 6pm local time and work was still underway to restore supplies to them. About 270,000 homes are still without electricity, he added.

The one-month-old’s father, Khaurat, said he spent the morning huddled in the bathroom of his family’s fourth-floor apartment in the Obolon district, a northern suburb of Kyiv. He said three or four consecutive loud bangs around 8am rattled the window and woke up his baby, Miroslava. Bathrooms are the safest place to hide, he says, because there are two walls between any windows.

As he emerged, he saw smoke in the distance. But without an internet connection, he said he couldn’t tell what was going on. He just knew that when he turned on his faucet, no water came out.

Kyiv has a network of wells under ornate metal canopies that are still in widespread use, much like those of public drinking fountains in America.

Therefore, Mr. Khaurat joined the growing flow of people to get water through the day. In one district of Kyiv, rows of houses are stretched to use the wells in the park. At another well in the center of the old city, just 50 yards from where a rocket struck three weeks ago, a steady stream of people came to collect water throughout the day.

Recent strikes have put severe pressure on Ukraine’s power grid, leading to intermittent power outages and warnings from officials about the need to conserve energy as winter ends. The government has also asked Ukrainians outside the country not to return as resources will be limited.

Mr Khaurat returned to Kyiv this summer after taking refuge further west during the previous war. He said he doesn’t want to leave his home again and is prepared for a tough winter, but he may have to reconsider if water continues to be scarce.

“We have a lot of decisions to make,” he said.

However, he added, “no matter how bad this winter may be, it will be better than living under Russia.”

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