Photo/Illutration People cross a busy street in Kyiv on Nov. 3 where lights are out to save electricity. (Takashi Kida)

Under the leaden sky, cold rain continues drizzling down on towns where power outages have become routine.

“I sense a heavy gloom,” said Takashi Kida, an Asahi Shimbun reporter covering Ukraine. His voice sounded doleful on the phone.

Since Russian forces began a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last month, 4.5 million citizens have reportedly been without power.

With the possibility also looming of the loss of water and sewage services, how do people feel about facing the frigid winter without electricity, water and heat?

“Terrified” was one citizen’s answer, a single word that pierced my heart.

Looking at history, the severity of Russia’s winter worked in the nation’s favor.

During the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century, freezing temperatures and starvation decimated the French army retreating from Moscow.

In his memoir, Napoleon’s close adviser, Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt (1773-1827), noted that soldiers, overcome by the cold, were too weak and too numb to stand, and that they fell to the ground one after another once they stopped walking.

This episode of history must fill Russian President Vladimir Putin with great pride, as does Russia’s victory in its war with Germany.

But no simple comparison should be allowed, given that Russia is now engaged in nothing more than a despicable act of destroying the lives of innocent citizens.

It has been more than eight months since Russia’s invasion began.

Many Ukrainians reportedly believe that a cease-fire is out of the question unless their nation can recapture Russian-occupied territory so that displaced citizens can return home.

With mounting hatred, war is becoming a sad everyday life for them.

While I was speaking with my colleague on the phone, there was a brief power outage. He said it’s cold in his hotel in Kyiv because the heat is kept low.

I clenched my fist, feeling the frustration of being helpless to do anything about this dismal reality, from which there seems to be no way out.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 9

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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