Several Ukrainian cities were experiencing historically high temperatures on Wednesday. This comes at a time when major cities are experiencing prolonged blackouts due to Russian attacks on power plants.
In the capital city of Kyiv, where some districts have been without power for hours at a time due to electricity rationing, Ukrainians have been swimming in the Dnipro River as a way out of this unbearable heat.
Ukrainian Residents Reaction
Diana, an 18-year-old resident, complained to AFP about the oppressive heat at her place of employment.
22-year-old Dmytro claimed, “This is the hottest summer of my life,” and lamented the roughly 20 hours a day he was without power.
When there is no power, air conditioners do not work. We live like this,” she remarked.
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Heat Record
According to a state meteorological station that covers the Kyiv region, the previous record for the same date set in 1931 was beaten by 0.2 degrees Celsius the day before when air temperatures reached 36 degrees Celsius.
The central and southern Ukrainian cities of Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, and Mykolaiv have set historic records, according to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre.
The data coincide with the energy ministry’s strict rationing and increased imports of electricity from European nations in response to Russian attacks that have cut Ukraine’s capacity to generate electricity by half in comparison to a year ago.
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The ministry announced on Wednesday that there will be nationwide rolling blackouts due to temperatures reaching their “maximum”.
According to a statement from the ministry, “it is expected that electricity consumption will exceed the capacity of Ukrainian power plants and reach a record high”.
To relieve pressure on the grid, Kyiv asked officials to turn off the air conditioners in government buildings and requested that regional authorities restrict street lighting last month.
