W What would you do if suddenly there was no more water coming out of the tap? Or what if the heating suddenly fails in the middle of winter? Or what if there is suddenly no more power? And what if all of this happened together at once and indefinitely? Exactly this scenario has become a reality for many Ukrainians – including me personally.
Kyiv, two o’clock in the morning. Russia is carrying out another massive attack on Ukraine. You hear one Explosion. One of many, but this one seems to have hit its mark. The refrigerator goes silent, all the appliances in the house turn off, and there is no more water in the bathroom.
Suddenly there is silence in which all you can hear is hot water flowing from the central heating radiator – which is a good thing, by the way: this protects the heating systems from catastrophe in the event of frost. Otherwise the radiator and pipes would break – along with the hope that it would get warm again.
An explosion is heard. The refrigerator goes silent, all the appliances in the house turn off, and there is no more water in the bathroom.
Kyiv is not just any big city, but it is a real metropolis – with skyscrapers, subway, eight-lane roads and expensive restaurants. But in the midst of all this splendor, you are thrown back in time dozens of years. In the first few minutes after the power and water outage, I try to get used to the new reality. Of course, winter never comes suddenly, and the fourth year of the Russian invasion has not been canceled by anyone – but what do I personally have to do now? Here’s my water supply, here’s my smartphone battery, here’s my flashlight and here’s my warm blanket – how vulnerable am I right now?
Anyone who is young can fetch drinking water
For example, my refrigerator lasts for twelve hours, but food can also be stored on the balcony. The cellular connection will probably continue to work, albeit with difficulty. Anyone who is young and healthy enough still has time to fetch drinking water. When you have left your youth and health behind you, you have to do the same thing, only things are much worse.
Then it’s time to wait and see. Most likely the water supply will be restored first. The power supply will follow much later. And at some point the heating too. However, there is no guarantee that the next bombardment will not start this cycle again.
Tens of thousands of people are busy restoring communications here in Ukraine. Selfless, without proper pay and with overtime. However, at the beginning of the war, people in Ukraine also admired the heroic deeds of the railway workers. Has this improved their lives and working conditions? I don’t believe.
On the Internet you can find videos like in one of the residential area The power supply is restored in Kyiv – and the residents’ screams of joy can be heard across the entire district. So that’s what really connects people. My voice can also be heard in this shout of joy.
Vasili Makarenko is a freelance author from Kyiv and was a participant in an Eastern Europe workshop taz Panter Foundation.
From Russian by Tigran Petrosyan.
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