I have charged all the gadgets, have eaten, and I have my hat on*. Half of this January will be enough for the “2026 results.” So, as opinion leaders say: mission-vision-agenda-panel, and off we go!

Text: Ekaterina Provozina

During these 15 days of January 2026, I was convinced (or learned) that:

• Grandma was right: you should tuck your undershirt into your underwear.
• You can not only eat in the kitchen but also sleep there (if the kitchen is too small, you can take out the table and sleep diagonally — my friends suggested that).
• You should wear thin cotton socks under scratchy thick wool socks.
• Three bricks on one gas burner give off more dry heat than one.
• There should be a supply of candles in the house (2.5 days without electricity convinced me of this) and some instant porridge.
• A travel toilet seat in your bag is much more valuable than a cosmetic bag, even if there is a Dior lipstick in it.
• To have a bowl of hot soup once a day, you have to get out from under the blanket regardless of the temperature in your apartment, and then you have to figure out how to get this very soup.
• Wherever you go from home, you should always have a thermos with hot water and a chocolate bar with you; it’s also wise to always have these at home.

Read: Why Ukrainians think negotiations with Putin are pointless: 1. Ilovaisk

Oh, I nearly forgot this:

• Sports are for those who fancy them, but! sports equipment is a big advantage 🙂

Photo courtesy of a friend from Pechersk: they haven’t had heating since January 9; the temperature outside is now -13°C. You can heat a tent with ceramic pots filled with boiling water (provided there is a gas stove).

In Kyiv, about half a thousand houses are still without heating.

*”Mum, I’ve eaten and I have my hat on” — in Ukraine, this is an iconic phrase we’ve all said to our mothers since childhood. It is the ultimate “I’m okay” report: I am safe, I am warm, and I am taking care of myself.