War in Ukraine: In Kyiv and Kherson the fronts – “It is genocide” says the mayor of the capital

As winter approaches one of the biggest issues facing Ukraine as it continues to fend off Russian attacks is the energy crisis as more and more areas of the country are left without heating, electricity and water while Kremlin and Kyiv shift the blame to each other for the fact that there is no continuation of the negotiations.

Kyiv and Kherson are two of the main conflict fronts now with Moscow continuing unabated attacks on key energy infrastructure in Kiev with the aim of plunging as much of the country into darkness as possible. Already the damage caused has left hundreds of homes without electricity and water, while the mayor of the Ukrainian capital made one more dramatic warning saying the city is preparing for the worst case scenario in the event of further Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure while asking residents to think again and the possibility of leaving their homes, if necessary.

Kyiv is preparing for the worst

“Our enemies are doing everything to keep the city without heat, electricity and water, and generally want us all to die. This is their duty. And how well we hold up depends on how well we are prepared for different scenarios … so we have to be prepared,” said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
“It’s not war, it’s terrorism, it’s genocide,” he added, encouraging some residents to consider staying with family and friends outside Kyiv if the city is left without power or water.

“If you have a large family — if we think about the worst case, if we were left without electricity and water — or friends outside Kiev, where there is an autonomous water supply, an oven, heating, keep in mind the possibility of staying there for a certain period of time,” he emphasized the mayor of the city.

“His goal is to make us die, freeze, or make us leave our land so he can have it. This is what the attacker wants to achieve,” he concluded.

Russian raids against civilians in Kherson

However, the problems in water and electricity supply have also extended to areas controlled by Russia, such as in Kherson. According to Ukrainian local officials and Russian-appointed local authorities, electricity and water have also been temporarily cut off in Kherson, with Moscow and Kyiv firing accusations at each other over who is responsible for the outages. Specifically, according to Ukrainian forces, the Russians have dismantled 1.5 kilometers of power lines and electricity will likely not return to the area until Ukrainian forces retake Kherson.

Meanwhile, after its evacuation of civilians, Ukraine accuses Russia that Russian forces have stepped up control of civilians in the occupied areas of Kherson with Russian soldiers wearing civilian clothes, ransacking civilian homes and detaining locals to prevent a possible resistance from rebels, as reported by CNN.

The map shows the control situation in Ukraine

Balaki the responsibilities for the negotiations

And while the fighting inside Ukraine continues, Russia and Ukraine are shifting the blame for the breakdown of negotiations.

“Ukraine has never refused to negotiate. Our negotiating position is known and open,” he wrote on Twitter Mykhailo Podolyak saying that Russia must first withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

“Is Putin ready? Obviously not. Therefore, we are constructive in our assessment: we will talk to the next leader,” he added.

Moscow’s reaction came through the mouth of the representative of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, who emphasized “that the Russian side is ready to resume the negotiation process with Ukraine.” However, he spoke of the impossibility of any negotiations after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree ruling out negotiations with Russia, since its president is Vladimir Putin.

“We have repeatedly said that the Russian side remains open to achieving its goals in the negotiations, but we also repeatedly drew everyone’s attention to the fact that at the moment we do not see such an opportunity, as it was codified in Kyiv, that is, turned into law, the non- continuation of any negotiation with the Russian side,” Peskov replied.

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