How Ukrainians are battling the cold during Russia's war

Al Jazeera speaks to people in Ukraine who are enduring cold temperatures without regular heat or electricity.

Interactive -cover 2 ukraine winter

This is the third story in a three-part series on staying warm this winter. Read part one: How to beat rising household energy costs and part two: Winter woes for the most vulnerable.

A noisy gasoline generator sputters into action outside a series of high-rise apartment blocks in Kyiv. The streets hum with the sounds of backup power systems all buzzing to keep the Ukrainian capital running.

It is early February, and the monolithic white and beige structures, which have been blanketed in darkness, start to light up flat by flat as the electricity surges through the buildings.

On one of the top floors, accessible by a rickety, claustrophobic lift, live Viktoria Beliakova, a 35-year-old financial consultant; her husband, Valentyn Hlyboky, a 38-year-old IT specialist; and their 12-year-old daughter, Vlada.

Source: Al Jazeera