Schools closed for weeks in Kiev after Russian attacks on power grid. The measures announced by Mayor Klitschko

The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, announced on Friday that the schools in the Ukrainian capital will be closed until February 1, in the midst of the crisis caused by the recent Russian bombings that led to massive interruptions in the supply of electricity and heating agent, reports France Presse and Agerpres.

“Starting January 19, schools in the capital will be closed until February 1,” Klitschko said on his Telegram account.

The municipal administration also announced the introduction of new measures to save electricity from Friday: street lighting will be reduced to 20% of capacity, and decorative lighting will be turned off.

After the end-of-year holiday, classes resumed in Kyiv schools on January 12, both in person and through online lessons, according to local authorities.

But recent Russian bombings of Ukrainian energy infrastructure have caused so much damage that President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared a “state of emergency” in the sector.

“The situation remains very difficult”

The January 9 Russian attacks on the energy system caused some of the worst power and heat outages in Kiev since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Due to the frost and extremely low temperatures, 6,000 residential buildings, i.e. half of the city's, were left without heat. Local authorities are still making efforts, trying to repair the damage.

“The situation regarding the power supply, on which the provision of public services depends, remains very difficult,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday, adding that around 100 residential buildings were still without heating.