Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen

I associate this winter with three things: cold, darkness, and gratitude. I am not mentioning Russian missiles and drones because they strike residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and energy infrastructure all year round. That is why we in Kyiv are sitting at minus -17 degrees without heating, electricity, water, or communication. The situation is the same in other cities of Ukraine. Such actions against civilians are prohibited even during war, which is why the International Criminal Court has opened a case for crimes against humanity. But this post is about gratitude. I see and read all the messages from friends, acquaintances and simply caring people abroad. I apologise for responding with just a word or two or simply posting an emoji. Cold is an interesting thing. The body shuts down most of its functions and goes into survival mode. I always feel cold in winter, let alone in these circumstances. But your words and support warm me. You ask how we are? Here are a few sketches. 1. Almost every night, I hear explosions from Russian missiles and drones in Kyiv. Although the Russians practise double strikes, rescuers and electricians instantly appear at the sites of damaged civilian infrastructure. Day and night, in the bitter cold, they repair what has been destroyed. Russian missiles and drones will come again, and they will have to do it all over again. There is so much work that it begins to resemble Sisyphean labour. But if anything makes sense, it is these stubborn efforts.  2. Critical circumstances test people's authenticity. Ukrainians pass these tests with dignity. Recently, an elderly woman wrote on Facebook that she was freezing, and my friend, who did not know her at all, immediately went to help her. In the stairwell, she met several other people who also did not know this woman but brought her the necessary items. Perhaps we are a tired but morally healthy society. Because people support those who are struggling and help each other.  3. Shops, restaurants and administrative institutions have opened their doors to homeless cats and dogs. A night in such cold weather is death for them. People take animals in for shelter. They feed birds. Volunteer groups in different cities respond to calls, pick up frostbitten animals, treat them, and find them homes. People try to save themselves, and at the same time, save other lives that cannot cope with this challenge on their own. And there is a lot of humanity in this.  4. Neighbours hold winter picnics in the courtyard, businesses provide generators for hospitals, people light up the entrances with fairy lights, some set up mobile saunas to warm up those who are frozen, others set up colourful playhouses from ice for children. I am not romanticising at all; this is still a difficult test. The Russians have decided to freeze us to death in order to break us, but this is our only life and we have refused to be broken. If our defenders in frozen trenches can hold back the Russian advance, then so can we. And in six weeks, it will be spring. And I know this for sure. Many people abroad now have heat, light, water and communication. But they are still cold. Because a world dominated by the law of the strong and cynical profit, where moral principles  do not matter, is fragile and cold for people. So if you feel cold inside right now, I hope these stories from Kyiv during the winter blackout will warm you up.  #winter2026wewillendure