In April 2024, a salvo of cruise missiles destroyed the Trypilska thermal power plant, the largest in the Kyiv region, in under an hour. In June 2023, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam left a million people without drinking water and wiped out an entire irrigation system downstream. Throughout three winters, strikes on combined heat and power plants have left apartment buildings in Kyiv at indoor temperatures barely above freezing. In December 2023, a single cyberattack on Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest mobile operator, cut phone and internet service for millions.

One would think that under such attacks on infrastructure any society must necessarily collapse. Or at least that's what Putin hopes for. But the last time I’ve checked, Ukraine was still very much alive and kicking. The question is: how is that possible?

***

In winter 2022, when the blackout in Kyiv happened for the first time, people had to cope for themselves. Here's Tymofiy Mylovanov, professor at Kyiv School of Economics, tweeting in real-time:

There is no electricity, no heating, no water. Outside temperature is around freezing. The apartment is still warm from the previous days. We will see how long it lasts. We have blankets, sleeping bags, warm [...]

---

First published:
April 11th, 2026

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/rDzMraAEkBBewn7vy/the-blast-radius-principle

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

---

Images from the article:

Mobile boiler house in a shipping container. You truck one in, connect it to a building's existing heating pipes, and it starts working.

Embroidered military patch for Ukrainian 17th Housewife Drone Regiment featuring woman with drone controller.

Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.