Before the protest in central Kyiv, authorities warned that the city was under increasing pressure due to Russian attacks. Russia once again called on diplomats and foreign citizens to leave Kyiv, citing the continuation of retaliatory attacks and the targeting of facilities in the capital and other localities.
At the same time, the strikes affected infrastructure and caused logistical problems, including through attacks on bridges. Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the situation as “extremely dramatic,” while Ukrainian authorities feared that, with the arrival of the cold season, the attacks could once again hit energy infrastructure, following the pattern of the 2025 campaign.
In this context, the operator DTEK introduced scheduled power cuts in Kyiv after massive attacks on energy infrastructure, in order to reduce pressure on the grid and prevent emergency outages. Klitschko had previously warned that Kyiv was in a difficult situation due to the ongoing attacks and that there was a risk of a repeat of last winter’s scenario, when the bombardments left thousands of people without electricity and heating.
