Europe | Putin’s cold war

Keeping Ukraine from freezing this winter

The country is in a race against time, weather and Russian missiles

BAKHMUT, UKRAINE - OCTOBER 21: A man gathers fallen tree branches for firewood on October 21, 2022 in Bakhmut, Donetsk oblast, Ukraine. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of preparing to blow up the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River which could lead to a "large-scale disaster" including the flooding of around 80 settlements and the regional capital Kherson. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
|MAKARIV

A small town west of Kyiv, Makariv still wears the scars of the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a bombed-out community centre in the middle of town, its façade blown off by an artillery strike, a local choir sings an Orthodox hymn. Misha, a boy of six, tours the wreckage of his old kindergarten, its floors lined with debris and scattered toys. Charred apartment blocks surround the scene. New problems compound old ones. Since early October, waves of Russian missiles and “kamikaze” drones have struck targets near Makariv, including an electric substation, triggering blackouts. Russia resumed its attacks on October 31st, firing more than 50 cruise missiles against Ukraine.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Putin’s cold war”

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