<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">As winter edges ever closer in Ukraine, Alla Melnychuk and her neighbors are racing against time to save what little they have left.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Their apartment building in Irpin was hit during some of the heaviest fighting in March. Most of the windows are still shattered, the roof is gone and the sewer shafts have burned down, meaning there’s no water supply and no sewage outlet.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Heavy rains in September caused even more damage, but Melnychuk is determined to push ahead with the repairs.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are late, we are slowly rebuilding, we have bought wood and we are installing the roof, but I am not even considering the option that we won’t finish it before winter,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>As the weather becomes colder, millions of Ukrainians like Melnychuk are trying to prepare for what they know will be an extremely difficult winter, rushing to repair their homes and secure enough fuel to stay warm.</div><div><br></div><div>Those problems have been compounded in recent weeks by Russia’s barrage of attacks on Ukraine’s power and heating infrastructure.</div><div><br></div><div>The Ukrainian energy agency said that it had to implement “severe” and “unprecedented” emergency power cuts in Kyiv to avoid a “complete blackout” as the capital faces a power deficit of 30%. It has urged residents to use electricity “sparingly,” especially in the morning and at night, while businesses have been asked to turn off the lights outside offices, restaurants and shopping centers.</div><div><br></div><div>The blackouts are unpredictable, which means people must be ready at all times. Computers and phones get charged whenever there’s a chance. Some elevators in the city’s many high-rise residential buildings are equipped with emergency supply boxes.</div><div><br></div><div>Driving around the city has become more dangerous during the blackouts; road traffic accidents are up 25%, according to police. Shops shut down when they lose power and some restaurants have begun to advertise “blackout” menus of food and beverages they can serve during cuts.</div><div><br></div><div>To help people heat their homes, the Ukrainian government has launched a new online firewood store that makes it easier for people to find local suppliers.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk advised Ukrainian refugees not to return home this winter because the country’s fragile power grid is at risk of becoming completely overwhelmed. Source: CNN</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>