By Stefaniia Bern and Sergiy Karazy
KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian businesses are preparing for the prospect of another winter of widespread power outages amid fears that Russia will repeat a campaign of air strikes on civilian infrastructure.
“We are a nation that adapts easily,” said Nataliia Shadryna, who runs a bakery in the capital Kyiv. “We survived last year and are preparing for this one.”
“When I ask my employees if they are scared, they say ‘no’.”
Regular Russian missile and drone strikes beginning last October targeted critical facilities such as power stations, sparking blackouts and water cutoffs throughout the country.
Many businesses struggled to adapt to the effects of the attacks, suffering losses and cutting staff.
Engineers toiled over the summer months in a bid to repair broken equipment, and better Ukrainian air defences could help mitigate the impact of the war as temperatures begin to drop.
Shadryna’s bakery, Good Bread From Good People, a non-profit organisation which feeds people living in war-ravaged parts of Ukraine, relies on a 160-watt generator donated earlier this year by supporters in Norway.
“Its capacity is even bigger than what we need, but it really helped us out of trouble,” she said of the hulking, crane-loaded device.
The bakery, which is supported by donations and grants, also exclusively employs people with mental disabilities.
On a recent morning, workers were busy crafting and baking bread of various shapes and styles, some emblazoned with a trident, Ukraine’s coat of arms.
Despite the preparations, the prospect of more air strikes still looms large over Shadryna’s staff, including logistics manager Ivan Zinchenko.
“What scares me most is the uncertainty of what’s going to happen,” he said.
(Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Gareth Jones)
