Over the past few weeks, hundreds of these help stations were set up in Ukraine. These stations are christened “defiance” and allow residents to heat up, recharge their phones, have snacks, or even entertain themselves.
Markovnikov, who is 78, had to move several time. He remembered how he was driven out of his eastern Donbas home by Russian-backed separatists in 2014. In 2014, Russian-backed separatists took control of the eastern Donbas region. He fled Bucha, which is now known for its massacres, and walked across the frontline to Kyiv. Although he was later able to return home, it is not always easy to do so.
Markovnikov, who was looking at Monday’s soccer World Cup match in South Korea and Ghana, said that his neighbours had told him there was a tent with electricity. “We still believe. We believe. It has an easy-to-use online map to help beleaguered citizens find their location.
Over 67,000 people received assistance in these cases as of Friday. This number could rise if, like President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned, there are more Russian strikes ahead.
These centres were often small, insulated tents smaller than a classroom and were created just in time for a string of Russian airstrikes that deprived many Ukrainians from basic necessities of their lives at home.
The centres serve as a temporary fix while utility crews attempt to restore basic services to customers and businesses.
DTEK, a power company, stated Monday that controlled outages continued in Kyiv to maintain a balanced power system and avoid any other breakdowns. They also made sure electricity was available to hospitals and heat pumping stations.
Household customers had access to only 42 percent of the power in the city. The company stated that they do their best to supply light to every customer for two to three hours twice daily.
The “Point of Invincibility” is a place where teens can have a snowball fight. Outside, a guitarist plays his instrument in front of an inflatable tent.
As young children sat on the floor, they played Roblox on mobile phones. Meanwhile, older women sat and sipped their tea while elderly women sat still to enjoy the moment. Staffers served hot tea to a young girl while she held her dog.
“Points of Invincibility,” which are a public-service, free alternative to coffee shops and restaurants have become hotspots for internet access and warmth for Ukrainians looking for shelter from the cold and darkness in their own homes.
Mykola, a 26-year-old Bucha resident, sat down on his computer and said, “When the electricity went out I had to search for a place that has a connection.” “These can either be cafes that draw energy from other sources, or they could be places that I look for a point’ – like now,” said Mykola Pestikov, a Bucha resident who viewed a ledger that showed that over 1,000 people had passed through the centre in Bucha since it was opened 10 days ago. In Bucha, electricity is often poor or nonexistent.