People in Chernihiv only find out at the last minute whether they will have electricity the next day. Russia's strikes force the city authorities to constantly cut off the electricity. And along with it, the water also stops. How do you live like this?
Anastasia Vorontsova puts her laptop in her bag, although she had planned to work in a cafe in Chernihiv. She consults people on the Internet and helps them present themselves better to customers.
The woman went to the cafe because there is electricity there. But the place is crowded, and Vorontsova fears that this will interfere with her work. She is considering whether to go to another café or go home, because the power has surprisingly come back on there too. "According to the plans, it wasn't supposed to be there right now. I can only hope it will last longer", the woman told German public broadcaster ARD.
This is Anastasia's usual daily routine. Chernihiv, which is located in northern Ukraine, is less than 80 km from Russia. Because of this - as in many other Ukrainian cities on the border and close to the front - shelling is extremely frequent.
On the eve of winter, Russia is attacking the electricity supply in particular, causing constant power outages. Since the Ukrainian power supply is constantly having to carry out repairs, every building has a plan for the availability of electricity.
The water supply is also affected
Most cafes and shops have generators. The employees take care to supply them with diesel so that they do not have to be turned off and cooled down.
Already at home, Vorontsova tells ARD how power outages affect her entire life - because often, in addition to the power, the water also stops when the city pumps cannot function.
That is why even the toilet cannot be visited without hindrance - the water in the cistern quickly runs out and has to be refilled with a bottle. It is preferable to go somewhere else. "Because if you don't have running water for a long time and everyone still goes to the toilet, the pipes in the house get clogged. From there on, the whole building has a problem."
The shortage is compensated for with improvisations
Because of all this, Vorontsova and her sister have brought numerous bottles of water up to the apartment on the ninth floor. The elevator has been out of service for a long time, ARD also reports.
Sister Veronika Rozumna, a 29-year-old blogger who lives nearby, is visiting. There is currently no electricity in her home and she has come to charge her smartphone.
Veronika's Instagram videos are dedicated to the good things in life: a cozy breakfast at home, a visit to the beautician. People in Chernihiv are trying to live normally despite everything that happens to them, the German public media outlet points out.
But this requires real improvisational skills in times without electricity. Vorontsova tells how she and her sister had plans to go to Kiev for a walk. "When we woke up, there was once again no electricity or water. I told Veronika: "We'll manage". She went to get water, I heated it on the stove. That way we could take care of our morning routine. Then we went to friends' to dry our hair. And then we left".
The economy is suffering
For some in Chernihiv, however, the power outages are an existential threat to their business – like for Kukobko, a chef and co-owner of three restaurants and bakeries in the city. Without electricity, he could just throw away the food. But he doesn't do that - he has decided to distribute it to the needy in the city on days without electricity, writes ARD. But Kukobko says that Russia's offensive war is gradually destroying everything he has painstakingly managed to build over the years. He knows people who have left the city for this reason - mostly other entrepreneurs.
The economy is moving out of the region, the man told the German public media. – There will be less and less money here. Today 60 people buy bread from my bakery every day, tomorrow there will be only 40 and gradually my business will die. I am sad that people who have achieved something here are leaving."
He himself never wanted to leave. Although since Russia's attack on Ukraine he has forbidden himself from saying the word "never".