Home-heating plans are put on hold in Slavyansk as the city officials chose to turn off and ‘conserve’ the city heating systems, said city mayor Vadym Lykh on Facebook.

The city service teams overseeing the central heating system in Slavyansk have started to discharge water from its pipes – the ‘conservation’ work is still underway.

‘The sole idea is there will be no heating season. And it will require thorough preparation so that in post-war future local could live through winter in their warm apartments,’ said the mayor.

Earlier this month, Kramatorsk mayor Oleksandr Goncharenko said there is a ‘risk’ the city residents will be left without gas, heating, and water while apartment buildings will be disconnected from sewer systems.

On August 2, Kyiv announced a massive evacuation campaign in Donetsk region on fears the ongoing combat and havoc to critical infrastructure will make it impossible to administer public utilities.