The Mishal Husain Show Author Andrey Kurkov on Winter in Kyiv and Why Putin Won’t Stop
Feb 13, 2026
Andrey Kurkov, acclaimed Ukrainian novelist behind Death and the Penguin and wartime diaries, speaks from Kyiv and France. He describes the brutal winter, why he left for a residency, and how daily life and writing have changed. He warns against pressured peace deals, urges stronger European support, and shares plans to return to Kyiv in spring.
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Winter Became The Main Enemy
- Andrey Kurkov described sleeping with three hot water bottles and boiled plastic bottles to survive Kyiv's wartime cold.
- He said winter “aligned with Russia,” making heating failures a central enemy of civilians and repair crews.
Fear Replaced By Survival Routines
- Kurkov said fear faded into a set of survival rules for daily life under attack.
- He described learning to judge alerts, missile types, and whether to shelter in corridors, metros, or bomb shelters.
Fragmentation Threatens Postwar Unity
- Kurkov argued Ukraine is more fragmented now than at the war's start, across occupied areas, front-line soldiers, displaced civilians, and those still at home.
- He said reconstruction by democracies is needed to reunite Ukrainians after the war.
