Klitschko says Kyiv in survival mode as Russian strikes hit bridges and power grid

Survival mode before winter

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko told AFP that recent Russian attacks have destroyed bridges and key city infrastructure, pushing the capital into what he called survival mode ahead of winter. Residents are preparing for a repeat of last winter, when for several days there was no heating or electricity and temperatures fell to minus 20 degrees Celsius. Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing world champion who has been mayor since 2014, summed up the moment in one line: "Today it is about survival."

In the same interview he described the daily toll of the attacks in these words:

Every day new reports come in about destroyed buildings, injured or tragically killed people, and the shelling of our city is gaining strength.

Strikes on bridges, power and water

According to AFP, Russian forces have in recent weeks extended missile and drone strikes on Kyiv into daytime hours, targeting bridges, the city centre and energy infrastructure. The effects are already visible. Parts of the city have suffered power cuts, and in early October some districts were without water for several hours. Shortly after the mayor's AFP interview, the Kyiv metro was temporarily halted because of power problems, and Klitschko warned that serious damage to the water supply network could trigger a wide-ranging crisis.

Strikes in late September also damaged energy infrastructure in the Kyiv region, leaving thousands of households without power. Because attacks on bridges make it harder to move between the two halves of the city, the municipality is developing alternative pontoon crossings over the Dnipro. Klitschko said Russian attacks on Kyiv on Thursday killed three people and injured 14, while an attack on a bus in Kramatorsk killed 33 people.

Death toll and blame

Data from the Kyiv city health department show at least 534 residents killed by Russian attacks since 2022. So far this year, 189 people have died, a figure that already exceeds the number of victims recorded in 2025.

Klitschko also placed part of the blame for the shortcomings on the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky, with which he has long been in conflict. The government has repeatedly accused city authorities of delaying winter preparations, an accusation Klitschko called baseless. He said the city faces a "very difficult" task with limited time, limited funds and a limited number of staff, and added:

Finding scapegoats will not make people warmer.

Advice to residents and air defence

Klitschko said residents with family or friends outside Kyiv should consider moving there temporarily for the winter, but he promised never to announce a full evacuation. He framed that refusal around Moscow's aims, saying:

This is Putin's goal... The best scenario for Putin is that we all leave and hand him our abandoned cities and our country.

The city is stockpiling backup heating systems, fuel, food and drinking water. Klitschko warned that these preparations may not be enough if air defence fails, and that in that case it may end badly. President Zelensky, describing one attack in which 70 missiles, including many ballistic missiles, and Shahed drones were launched, said only some were shot down and that air defence systems are now absolutely essential. Several days earlier, attacks had killed 11 people, five of them in Pryluky in Chernihiv oblast. Earlier, Klitschko thanked Poland for its support on Radio Zet and appealed for further military aid.