Dear Friends and Wardens,

The U.S. Embassy would like to notify American citizens living in or traveling to Ukraine of the current situation involving centralized heating and hot water supply in Ukraine. Due to recent commercial disputes over the cost of natural gas between Russia and Ukraine, the supply of gas to Ukraine has been suspended. The Ukrainian and Russian governments report that they are continuing negotiations with the goal of resolving their dispute. Ukrainian authorities have told the media that the country has enough natural gas in underground storage, and drawn from domestic sources, to cover the country's energy needs until the end of the heating season, and they report that they are using gas and heavy heating oil reserves to keep residential homes, schools and medical facilities warm. However, some cities have stopped supplying hot water, claiming that the pressure in Ukraine's natural gas pipelines has dropped in recent days. The news from public sources indicates that Dnipropetrovsk, Sevastopol and Zhytomyr have been affected so far. Other cities, including Kyiv, may experience some hot water cut offs, as well as noticeable temperature reductions in their heating systems. American Citizens may wish to consider using alternative ways of heating their apartments, such as electric radiators, as well as installing boilers to ensure independent hot water supply. Any use of such equipment, however, should always be governed by all applicable safety regulations and product instructions; individuals may wish to consult with qualified experts before installing such equipment.

In the event further information is obtained regarding this or any other security or safety situation in Ukraine, the Embassy will provide updates via this same channel and on the Embassy’s web page: http://kyiv.usembassy.gov. We encourage Americans to register with the Embassy through the U.S. State Department’s travel website, http://travel.state.gov or directly with the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. 

American citizens who need to contact the Embassy may do so during working hours by calling the American Citizens Services unit at (38-044) 490-4445 or the main Embassy telephone number at (38-044) 490-4000. The Embassy’s duty officer may be reached after hours via this same number.U.S. Embassy in Ukraine:

10, Yuriy Kotsyubynsky St.
01901 Kyiv, Ukraine
Consular Section:
6, Mykola Pymonenko St.
01901 Kyiv, Ukraine