--- title: "Kyiv's Heating Season Starts Amid Shelling: Some Districts Will Remain Without Heat" description: "On October 16, Kyiv launched its heating season amid constant shelling. Heat will first go to social institutions, while parts of the Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi districts will remain without heating due to energy facility damage." date: 2026-10-16T07:36:09.530Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kyiv-heating-season-starts-shelling-districts-without-heat tags: [kyiv, heating-season, energy-infrastructure, ukraine, winter-preparation] author: "Darya Fomina" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Kyiv's Heating Season Starts Amid Shelling: Some Districts Will Remain Without Heat ![A woman in a blue uniform adjusts the thermostatic valve on a heating radiator in a hallway](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/16/kiev-otopitelnyy-sezon-2026-chast-rajonov-bez-tepla/kiev-otopitelnyy-sezon-2026-chast-rajonov-bez-tepla-1.webp) ## Key Points - The heating season in Kyiv started on October 16, 2026, amid ongoing shelling - Heat will be prioritized for social institutions based on individual management requests - Parts of the Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi districts will remain without heat due to energy facility damage - Experts point out that only 72% of capital buildings are gasified, and the energy system is in worse shape than a year ago On October 16, 2026, the heating season officially began in Kyiv. This was announced by the capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, on his Telegram channel, emphasizing that the heat supply is being launched under 'extreme conditions due to constant shelling.' According to him, heat will be supplied primarily to social infrastructure facilities — hospitals, schools, and kindergartens, which aligns with the traditional practice of turning on heating in Ukraine. ### Launch Under Combat Conditions Klitschko explicitly pointed out that the start of the heating season coincided with ongoing shelling of energy infrastructure. The mayor noted that despite this, heat supply in the capital is commencing. The connection of social institutions will be carried out based on individual applications from their managers, implying a phased and coordinated process rather than the simultaneous activation of all facilities. Previously, city authorities stated that Kyiv was fully prepared for the start of the heating season, but the exact start date depended on weather conditions, the need to save gas, and the security situation. ### Where There Will Be No Heat An important limitation of the current season is that heating will not be supplied to the entire territory of the capital. According to Klitschko, parts of the Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi districts will remain without heat due to significant damage recently sustained by an energy facility in these areas. This means that residents of the respective microdistricts, even upon the onset of favorable weather conditions, will not receive heat in their radiators until the damaged infrastructure is repaired. The scale and timeframe for repairing the energy facility were not specified in the mayor's message. ### Experts Assess the Capital's Readiness for Winter Against the backdrop of the official launch of the heating season, experts offer a more reserved assessment of Kyiv's readiness for the winter period. Andriy Zakrevsky, Deputy Director of the Association of Energy and Natural Resources of Ukraine, stated on the 'Novyny.live' broadcast that Kyiv is only 72% gasified and, accordingly, 72% ready for winter. According to him, all buildings constructed after the 1980s taller than 10 floors are not supplied with gas and are not prepared for the heating season. 'Just as it was unprepared last year, it is unprepared now,' the expert emphasized. He also pointed out that successfully getting through the winter will depend on accumulated gas reserves in storage facilities and the degree of protection of water supply and sewage infrastructure. ### Factors Influencing Heat Supply Energy expert Yuriy Korolchuk, in turn, assessed the state of Ukraine's energy system as the worst compared to the beginning of last winter and predicts that residents' apartments could be only 12–15 °C warm in winter, alongside potential outages. Thus, despite the formal start of the heating season on October 16, the real level of heat supply for Kyiv residents in the coming months will be determined by a combination of factors: the state of gas infrastructure, fuel reserves, the intensity of shelling, and the ability of utility services to promptly repair damages. ## Accounts differ ### Degree of Kyiv's readiness for the heating season - **Kyiv City Hall (Vitali Klitschko):** Kyiv is fully prepared for the start of the heating season; the launch is carried out under extreme conditions due to shelling, but heat supply is beginning. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kievi-startuvav-opalyuvalniy-sezon-ale-skriz-1792134055.html)) - **Andriy Zakrevsky, Deputy Director of the Association of Energy and Natural Resources of Ukraine:** Kyiv is 72% ready for winter since only 72% of buildings are gasified; post-1980s buildings higher than 10 floors are not prepared for the heating season. ([unian.net](https://www.unian.net/economics/energetics/otopitelnyy-sezon-v-kieve-budet-tyazhelym-ekspert-obyasnil-komu-budet-proshche-vyzhit-novosti-kieva-13505646.html)) *Where they agree:* The heating season in Kyiv started on October 16, 2026; some districts (Dniprovskyi, Darnytskyi) will not receive heat due to energy facility damage. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [В Киеве стартовал отопительный сезон, но не везде](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kievi-startuvav-opalyuvalniy-sezon-ale-skriz-1792134055.html) - Primary source: Klitschko's statement on the start of the season on Oct 16, 2026, exceptions for Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi districts, connection of social facilities upon requests. - [В Киеве к зиме готова только старая застройка, – эксперт](https://www.unian.net/economics/energetics/otopitelnyy-sezon-v-kieve-budet-tyazhelym-ekspert-obyasnil-komu-budet-proshche-vyzhit-novosti-kieva-13505646.html) - Expert assessments: 72% gasification, unreadiness of post-1980s buildings, forecast of 12-15°C in apartments. Used as context. - [Отопительный сезон 2026: когда дадут тепло и куда жаловаться на холодные батареи](https://www.unian.net/society/kogda-nachnetsya-otopitelnyy-sezon-2026-primernye-daty-v-ukraine-13514850.html) - General context: lack of a single date, dependence on weather (+8° for 3 days), priority of social sphere. Used for background information. ## FAQ ### When did the heating season start in Kyiv in 2026? The heating season in Kyiv started on October 16, 2026, as announced by Mayor Vitali Klitschko on his Telegram channel. ### Who will receive heat first in Kyiv? Heat will be supplied primarily to social infrastructure facilities — hospitals, schools, and kindergartens. Connection will be carried out based on individual requests from their managers. ### Which districts of Kyiv will not have heating? Parts of the Dniprovskyi and Darnytskyi districts will remain without heat due to significant damage recently sustained by an energy facility in these areas. ### How ready is Kyiv for winter according to experts? According to Andriy Zakrevsky, Deputy Director of the Association of Energy and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Kyiv is 72% gasified, and buildings constructed after the 1980s higher than 10 floors are not provided with gas and are not prepared for the heating season.