Emergency repair crews are working tirelessly to restore power in Ukraine’s Kyiv region, after relentless Russian attacks on energy infrastructure left residents exposed during the coldest winter in years.

In Boryspil, a town of approximately 60,000 people, workers are dismantling and rebuilding damaged electrical systems in harsh conditions. They labour in -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures from early morning until midnight, according to Yurii Bryzh, who leads the Boryspil regional department at power company DTEK.

Although they have managed to restore power for four hours per day, Bryzh explained the recurring challenge: “When the power comes back on, people turn on all the electrical equipment that is available in the house” to quickly wash, cook, or recharge devices, causing the system to collapse again.

Civilians face acute hardship amid what Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described as the longest and most widespread outages since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, with some homes without electricity for days.

Apartments throughout the capital are freezing. Residents venture outside in multiple layers against the bone-chilling cold. Snow blankets the city, and at night, streets remain dark with apartment buildings showing no signs of light.

Scientists Mykhailo, 39, and Hanna, 43, report that the temperature in their 5-year-old daughter Maria’s bedroom has plummeted to -15C (5F). While they can cook on their gas stove, nights require the family to huddle together under multiple blankets. “We have to use all the blankets we have in the house,” Hanna said.

The couple takes Maria to work with them during the day, since their workplace has a generator, while her kindergarten lacks heating. Their apartment’s Christmas decorations remain visible only when illuminated by torches.

Zinaida Hlyha, 76, heats water on her gas stove and places bottles in her bed for warmth. She refuses to complain, noting that Ukrainian soldiers on the approximately 1,000km (620-mile) front line face worse conditions.

“Of course it’s hard, but if you imagine what our guys in the trenches are going through now, you have to endure,” she said. “What can you do? This is war.”