Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 23, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
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Kyiv Zoo staff work tirelessly to keep animals warm as Russian strikes impact Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing power outages and cold conditions.
By Yurii Kovalenko
KYIV, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Staff at Kyiv's zoo are toiling around the clock to keep Tony the gorilla and other animals warm as Russian air strikes target Ukraine's energy infrastructure amid freezing winter temperatures.
Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko repeated his appeal on Friday to citizens to seek temporary shelter outside the city amid fears of further strikes. That is not an option for 51-year-old Tony, however, or the zoo's other long-suffering residents.
"You can tell people to go to the countryside but I can't say that to Tony," said zoo chief Kyrylo Trantin of Ukraine's oldest gorilla.
"He doesn't have a grandmother in the countryside... where he could stay."
Five times a day, staff deliver firewood to a constantly burning stove to keep the primate's cage at a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius.
Repeated Russian air attacks on Ukraine's energy system in recent weeks have thrown millions of people in Kyiv and other cities into sometimes lengthy periods of darkness and cold.
Emergency outages, worsened by temperatures as low as -18 degrees Celsius (-0.4 degrees Fahrenheit), have also disrupted water supplies.
At the zoo, generators rumble day and night to provide warmth to the animals, which include horses, bison and an elephant.
Staffer Viktoriia Sluzhenko said the zoo keeps enough water reserves to cover the elephant's need of 150 litres per day.
"We constantly fill the tanks so that we can survive in autonomous mode for three days," she said.
The responsibility of keeping other living creatures alive takes a heavy toll on staff also preoccupied with their own survival, said Trantin, as Russia's war nears its four-year mark with no signs of abating.
"Every day is a battle for warmth and power," Trantin added.
(Writing by Dan PeleschukEditing by Gareth Jones)
A power crisis occurs when there is a significant shortage of electricity supply, leading to outages and disruptions in services, affecting both households and institutions.
Animal welfare refers to the well-being of animals, ensuring they are treated humanely and provided with proper care, nutrition, and living conditions.
Humanitarian aid is assistance provided to people in need, often during crises such as natural disasters or conflicts, aimed at alleviating suffering and improving living conditions.
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