LONDON, January 21. /TASS/. The situation in Ukraine’s capital Kiev is descending into a humanitarian disaster amid widespread power outages and central heating troubles, City Mayor Vitaly Klichko told The Times in an interview.

"The situation is critical with basic services — heating, water, electricity. Right now, 5,600 apartment buildings are without heating," he said.

According to the report, Klichko gave his interview in the City Hall, where, according to The Times, staffers are not permitted to use restrooms because of water supply problems.

Power supply issues in Kiev and its surrounding regions have significantly deteriorated since late last year. In early January, the city again implemented emergency power outages following damage to critical energy infrastructure in the region. On January 9, Mayor Klichko urged residents to consider leaving the city if possible, citing severe problems with heating and electricity, and noting that approximately half of Kiev’s apartment buildings are without thermal power.