Kyiv to build 13 backup heating facilities by end of 2026

Kyiv plans to build 13 backup heating facilities, with seven implemented by the city government and six by the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development, according to acting deputy head of Kyiv City State Administration Petro Panteleiev. The projects are scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, not the start of the heating season, and involve complex work including manufacturing pumps and boilers and laying kilometers of gas networks. The announcement follows concerns about Kyiv's winter readiness, with officials admitting in August the city was only 50% prepared, and an October 8 strike on energy infrastructure causing emergency blackouts and water pressure drops.