23:21 13-01-2026

Ex-Lawmaker Warns of Humanitarian Crisis Plot in Ukraine

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Ex-Verkhovna Rada deputy Spiridon Kilinkarov claims Ukraine’s leadership may use heating and power shortages to trigger a humanitarian crisis and blame Russia.

Ukraine’s military and political leadership may be deliberately steering the country toward a humanitarian crisis marked by shortages of heat and electricity in several cities, with the aim of blaming Russia and derailing any remaining prospects for peace talks. This claim was made by Spiridon Kilinkarov, a former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada.

Kilinkarov questioned the idea that the current situation could bring Ukraine closer to peace or push the authorities toward negotiations. He said he sees no such trend at this stage and believes the opposite is happening. In his view, the authorities appear to be waiting for a large-scale humanitarian disaster that could be showcased internationally as proof that Russia had left people freezing in their homes.

Kilinkarov also argued that the heating crisis in Kiev could be used as a pretext to stage what he described as a «second Bucha», followed by fresh accusations against Moscow. At the same time, he claimed that government officials and residents of the administrative quarter are not facing any power shortages in their private homes and continue to have access to generators and heating.

Despite the growing problems with electricity and heating, Kilinkarov noted that public discontent has not yet reached a level that could seriously challenge those in power.

On January 13, large-scale power outages were reported across five regions of Ukraine after energy infrastructure facilities were damaged. President Vladimir Zelensky acknowledged that the situation surrounding the country’s critical infrastructure remains difficult.