By Stefaniia Bern
KYIV (Reuters) – Facing a frigid winter with what may be widespread power outages in war-torn Ukraine, motorcycle traveller and camping enthusiast Olena Bastun aims to see it through by relying on her vast experience on the road.
“This is a question of survival,” said Bastun, 53, who believes her nights sleeping in tents in Norway and Iceland in sub-zero temperatures have prepared her for the cold and darkness confronting Ukrainians this winter.
Ukrainian infrastructure has been hammered by Russian air strikes in recent weeks amid the full-scale Kremlin invasion launched on Feb. 24. Energy providers have implemented rolling blackouts to prevent an overload and carry out repairs.
Bastun, who has visited 117 countries with her husband on two wheels, has stocked up on head lamps, gas, tents and sleeping bags, as well as a portable fridge and solar panel and a range of snacks from Vietnam, Germany and the United States.
Much of the equipment was gifted by her son, who is serving as a medic in the Ukrainian military.
“I never intended to use a camping tent in Kyiv,” she told Reuters from inside her living room in the Ukrainian capital, laughing as she demonstrated how to set up the accessory.
“Life didn’t prepare me for this.”
Bastun added that she once needed to put up a tent inside her hotel room during a trip to Papua New Guinea.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko recently told Ukrainian media the city was preparing for the prospect of total outages of power, heating, and running water.
He urged residents to consider moving to emergency accommodation outside Kyiv with access to autonomous water and heating supply in the worst-case scenario of a total blackout.
(Reporting by Stefaniia Bern; writing by Dan Peleschuk; editing by Tom Balmforth and Mark Heinrich)
