Tested by darkness and cold: how the Bilohorodska community is holding up
While the enemy is trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness, the Bilohorodska community is shifting into a mode of maximum resilience. Village head Anton Ovsienko has published a detailed plan for the community’s operations: from strict electricity conservation to "warmth packages" for those who need them most.
By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik
February 8, 2026 · 2 min read
The energy front: why electricity is becoming a luxury
The situation in the Kyiv region's power system remains critical due to constant shelling. The head of the community frankly explained that it is technically impossible to raise voltage now because of low generation across the region, but local services are doing the impossible to keep the system running.
- No privileges: There are no critical-infrastructure lines in the community that are powered continuously — everyone is in the same conditions.
- Full conservation mode: Street lighting is turned off, and businesses are urged to urgently remove illumination and signs to reduce the load on the network.
- Fighting for every address: In Horenychi and Bilohorodka, where there has been no power for several days, power workers and local specialists are working around the clock to restore service.
"We use every opportunity: a 24 kW mobile generator moves around the community to alternately power facilities, and municipal workers, by their own efforts, even power communications towers so that people remain in contact with their relatives"
– Anton Ovsienko, Bilohorodka village head
Life during the crisis: water, heat and social protection
Despite difficult conditions, the community is adapting and implementing clear survival algorithms so that every resident feels supported.
Water supply and heating: Water is provided on a schedule — from 6:00 to 10:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00. In Sviatopetrivske, a generator that had failed was promptly repaired, restoring water supply. At the same time, educational institutions are operating normally thanks to autonomous power.
Care for people: Social services deliver hot meals daily to lonely elderly people. Work continues to mobilize additional «warmth packages» to cover as many vulnerable groups of the population as possible.
Context: the cost of each day of resilience
Western analysts often call Ukrainian municipal resilience phenomenal, and the figures from Bilohorodka confirm that. Every day about 4,600 liters of fuel are spent to sustain the life of the entire community. This is the price to keep hospitals, schools, Points of Invincibility operating and to clear 460 km of snow-covered roads.
Important for everyone: Points of Invincibility operate around the clock. Authorities ask that large appliances be charged one at a time to avoid overloading generators. In case of emergencies, a 24-hour line is available: 0800 301 119.
