Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has urged residents who have the means to do so to consider temporarily leaving the Ukrainian capital, warning that intensifying Russian attacks on critical infrastructure are pushing the city into what he described as a struggle for survival ahead of winter. In an interview with (AFP) on October 8, Klitschko said the growing frequency of Russian missile and drone strikes had significantly worsened living conditions in Kyiv, threatening electricity, heating, water supplies and essential transport connections. "Every day brings new reports of destroyed buildings, of people injured or tragically killed, as the shelling of our city intensifies," the mayor said.
"Today the issue is survival," he added. Klitschko advised residents who have relatives or friends outside Kyiv to consider staying with them temporarily as municipal authorities prepare for further disruptions to essential services. However, he stressed that his recommendation did not amount to an official evacuation order and that he would not call for the wholesale abandonment of the capital.
"That's Putin's goal… the best scenario for Putin is that we all leave and hand over our empty cities and our country to him," Klitschko said. Russian attacks put Kyiv's infrastructure under pressure The warning follows a marked escalation in Russian long-range attacks on Kyiv, with strikes increasingly targeting infrastructure that allows the city to function. According to AFP, Russian forces have expanded their operations beyond nighttime bombardments, launching daytime drone attacks against central districts and targeting important bridges spanning the Dnipro River.
The attacks have disrupted movement between the city's eastern and western banks, creating additional difficulties for commuters, public transport and emergency services. "The connection between the left and right banks is one of the key factors in the city's ability to function," Klitschko told AFP. Municipal authorities have consequently been developing alternative pontoon crossings to reduce the impact of damaged or temporarily closed bridges.
Electricity infrastructure has also come under renewed attack, triggering emergency power cuts and interruptions to water supplies. On October 8, Kyiv experienced further disruptions to its electricity network, with emergency outages affecting public transport and temporarily suspending metro services. The interruptions followed a series of strikes that damaged energy infrastructure and reduced the grid's ability to deliver electricity to consumers.
The deteriorating security situation has also resulted in civilian casualties. Russian strikes on October 7 damaged residential buildings across several Ukrainian regions. In Kyiv, a drone struck an apartment building in the Darnytskyi district, injuring four people, including two children, according to Ukrainian emergency authorities.
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