Poland has launched an urgent humanitarian operation to help protect Ukrainian civilians from freezing temperatures after sustained Russian attacks crippled Kyiv’s energy and heating systems.
Polish authorities said the humanitarian situation in Ukraine has become critical following intensified Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, which have left large parts of Kyiv without electricity and heating during severe winter conditions.
Officials warn that prolonged exposure to extreme cold poses a direct threat to the lives and health of hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Poland releases 379 generators and 18 heaters as winter outages deepen in Kyiv
Acting on the instructions of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Poland’s Government Agency for Strategic Reserves has released 379 power generators and 18 industrial heaters from national stockpiles.
The equipment is expected to reach Ukraine in the coming days.
The interior ministry stressed that the transfer of equipment would not undermine Poland’s domestic security or the agency’s ability to fulfil its national responsibilities.
The aid is intended to support critical infrastructure, emergency heating points and public facilities in areas most affected by power and heating outages.
Kyiv faces widespread outages as winter deepens
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that following the latest Russian attacks nearly 60% of buildings in Kyiv were left without electricity, while around 4,000 buildings remain without heating. With temperatures dropping well below freezing, Ukrainian authorities have warned of a growing humanitarian emergency.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has said that continued strikes have forced around 600,000 residents to temporarily leave the capital since early January, with roughly half of the city’s buildings affected by heating failures.
Warsaw sends additional generators to the Ukrainian capital
Alongside the national effort, the city of Warsaw has announced it will send 90 additional generators to Kyiv.
The equipment, organised by the capital’s municipal authorities, is being transported by Poland’s State Fire Service.
The first convoy of trucks departed from central Poland on Friday, with further deliveries scheduled from northern and south-western regions in the coming days.
The generators are expected to be used to power public buildings and emergency heating points in the Ukrainian capital.
Photo: MSWiA/PAP/Leszek Szymański
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Source: PAP/MSWiA
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