Workers repair damaged sections of the Darnytska combined heat and power plant in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 4, 2026. (Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images)As the springtime sun coaxes Kyiv’s residents outdoors, memories of a winter without reliable heat or electricity caused by Russian strikes are beginning to fade — creating a dangerous distraction from the government's failure to prepare for the upcoming season.Kyiv expects Moscow to launch another brutal campaign against its energy infrastructure this winter. But efforts to diversify Kyiv’s power generation and heating sources either started too late or not at all, several people in the energy sector, including a former senior official, told the Kyiv Independent.Instead, decision-makers are wasting time infighting rather than taking responsibility, pushing the capital towards another winter of blackouts and heating outages, the people said.Kyiv has also failed to secure the full $1.4 billion officials say is needed to strengthen the capital’s energy security, according to a former official with extensive knowledge of critical infrastructure preparedness."This winter could be even worse. Heating in Kyiv will be the biggest challenge," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.