Ukrainians brace for bitter winter as Russian blitz on energy plants intensifies

As much as 40 per cent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed

Mechanics in Kyiv are welding makeshift stoves ahead of a bitter winter without power (Bel Trew)

Discarded water heaters, empty propane canisters and scraps of steel reinforcement bars are the key ingredients needed to fight Ukraine’s imminent plunge into bitterly cold darkness.

That is according to Evgeny, 35, a former territorial defence member who is now back in his motorcycle garage in Kyiv, recovering from injuries sustained in the war.

In a tiny backstreet workshop, the wounded engineer and his team of three mechanics are busy welding makeshift pot belly stoves in a haze of sparks.