- Published
Daryna Kulchytska is a mum under pressure.
asserted
Kulchytska → publish → pressure
A single parent in a seventh floor flat in Kyiv trying to feed two lively kids and ensure they do their homework.
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they → try → homework
But Daryna also faces the added strain of a deadline she can't even be certain of.
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she → face → deadline
All she knows is soon the lights will go out, the sockets will lose power, the wi-fi will drop, and the taps will run dry.
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taps → know → power
Tonight, the electricity has kept flowing an hour longer than advertised, but Daryna's still racing to serve dinner and finish her own work from home.
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Daryna → keep → home
"The last few days it was only four or five hours we had power, but it's not at the same times.
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it → have → times
For two hours we have electricity, then for eight hours we don't."
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we → have → hours
This rolling schedule of planned power cuts has been in place since October, as Russia intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy grid.
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Russia → roll → grid
Ukraine has responded by striking Russian oil refineries.
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Ukraine → respond → refineries
Officials are concerned that life will quickly become unsustainable for millions of Ukrainians if power supplies cannot be maintained for at least four hours per day.
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supplies → become → day
Some privately warn that's close already, as some families are living with outages of up to 20 hours in Kyiv.
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families → warn → Kyiv
The power cuts were introduced earlier this year than last winter, and they're already lasting longer - making homes like Daryna's darker and colder.
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homes → introduce → Daryna
She's wrapped in layers of clothing and a heavy coat - the temperature is dropping, indoors and out.
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temperature → wrap → clothing
Just before 7:30pm, there's a click and that's it - darkness until dawn.
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that → be → dawn
The lift doesn't work, the water will stop flowing because electricity is needed to pump it to their flat.
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electricity → work → flat
So the torches and LED candles come out and Daryna, her son Kyryll and daughter Olena gather for a card game of Uno before an early night.
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Daryna → come → night
Twelve-year-old Kyryll, speaking perfect English learned during two years living in the US, is frank about the disruption.
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Kyryll → speak → disruption
All the fun got sucked out with the electricity," he says.
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he → suck → electricity
"We have a lot of board games.
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We → have → games
We have a whole shelf, but we've played them like a hundred thousand times already.
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we → have → times
Many families sit in the shadows as blackouts sweep entire neighbourhoods, smothering homes and streets in darkness.
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blackouts → sit → darkness
"You look outside and sometimes you see nothing.
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you → look → nothing
You have a big city around but you see nothing because there's no light," Daryna says.
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Daryna → have → nothing
Kyiv has been worst hit - its metro trains and trolleybuses at times brought to a standstill.
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trains → hit → standstill
Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have gone without power in recent weeks.
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thousands → go → weeks
We saw why on a visit to one of Ukraine's largest power stations, barely standing after a recent ballistic missile strike - the most powerful and devastating attack of Russia's campaign against Ukrainian energy targets.
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We → see → targets
The enormous plant - which we've been asked not to name for security reasons - has been reduced to a pile of twisted metal and broken pipes, its turbines buried in rubble, taking the site completely off line.
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turbines → ask → line
Volodymyr Kovalenko was on duty in the control room keeping the plant working when the missiles hit at 3am.
"It was a very powerful attack.
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It → keep → 3
We'd never experienced anything like it.
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We → experience → it
We'd had strikes before – part of the roof had collapsed, it was pretty grim.
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it → have → roof
Kovalenko, who followed in his parents' footsteps and has worked at the site for 25 years, says the damage is heartbreaking, though he's confident it can be repaired.
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it → follow → years
But the work is being hampered by air raids every 15-30 minutes – seven times during our four-hour visit.
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work → hamper → visit
Each warning of drones and further missiles forces teams to down tools and dive for cover, though during our visit all were shot down or flew on towards other targets.
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all → force → targets
If there isn't time to reach the site's main shelter, the workers hide in the foundations of its towering chimneys.
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workers → be → chimneys
"It's very difficult," says Vadym Bobyr, who is leading the recovery effort.
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who → say → effort
"You've mentally prepared yourself to do a particular job, and then… the air raid siren goes off, and you have to get out as quickly as possible."
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you → prepare → job
The 39-year-old, who has worked here half his life, is dwarfed by the mangled ruins and daunted by the challenge of rebuilding the plant.
"It's emotionally difficult, because we've already repaired all this, got it running again, and now it's happened all over again.
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it → work → this
It hurts, but we keep working and getting things done."
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things → hurt → ?
As we speak there's another alert - an incoming Banderol cruise missile.
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we → speak → ?
The workers dart through the maze of passages and pipework but there isn't time to reach a shelter - one of the plant's thickest walls will have to do for cover.
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one → dart → cover
…and 23 more, not listed.
The Aporia
