Kyiv asks residents to stock up on water, food and power: what the city recommends

Why now

On 10 October the Kyiv City State Administration (KMDA) called on residents to look after essential personal supplies. “Energy workers are working around the clock to restore power to all consumers, and municipal services to restore normal water supply. However, the intensity of shelling is increasing,” the statement said.

The capital came under missile attack the same day. In the Obolon district, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the number of injured rose to eight, three of them in a serious condition; a 15-year-old girl was among those hospitalised. A missile hit a restaurant building, and in the Solomianskyi district drone debris fell on a 25-storey residential building and an office building.

What the KMDA recommends

Water. Keep drinking and technical water for at least three days. One adult needs 3 litres of drinking water and 10–12 litres of technical water per day for hygiene and cooking. The capital has 155 pump-room water points that can run on generators during blackouts; a map is available on the KMDA website.

Food. Stock long-life foods and foods that need no electricity to prepare.

Power and light. Charge power banks and portable power stations, and keep torches, battery or rechargeable lamps, candles, matches and spare batteries.

Heat. Insulate your home: seal window joints, check their outer insulation, and place reflective foil insulation between the wall and the radiator.

Safety outdoors. After dark, wear reflective clothing or strips on your sleeve, bag or backpack. And follow official updates from the city authorities.

Lviv: around a hundred backup heat sources

Other cities are preparing for winter too. Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said more than 70 wood-fired boiler rooms will be running next to schools by the end of the year. “Together with boilers in hospitals and other institutions, that is about a hundred backup heat sources,” he wrote. The plan is to fire them all up at the start of the heating season to test the system.

“Even if the enemy attacks our heating infrastructure, children must study in warmth and residents must have a place to come and warm up,” Sadovyi explained.

In short: what to do today

Check that you have three days of water at home, charge a power bank, keep a torch within reach and find out where your nearest water point and “Invincibility Point” are. According to Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, quoted by Ukrinform, Ukraine is significantly better prepared for Russian attacks this winter than a year ago — but personal preparation remains the most reliable insurance.