The United Nations (UN) says that millions of people in Ukraine are without electricity, water or heating following a wave of Russian missile attacks on Tuesday that hit critical infrastructure in at least 16 of the country’s 24 regions and in the capital, Kyiv. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the damage to civilian infrastructure comes at a critical time when the temperature is dropping below zero, raising concerns about a serious humanitarian crisis during the harsh Ukrainian winter if people are unable to heat their homes.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, approximately 100 missiles were launched on the country Tuesday afternoon, mainly targeting energy infrastructure but also leaving some civilians injured or killed and homes destroyed in the capital Kyiv. The new wave of missile attacks is the largest on energy infrastructure since the start of the war according to the Ministry of Energy. Continuing attacks on energy infrastructure are leading to a major energy crisis in the country and increasing the urgent needs of millions of people.
OCHA reports that over the past weeks, waves of attacks on energy infrastructure have forced the country to adopt emergency power outages in all Ukrainian regions. Millions are facing constant power cuts, and the lack of energy is also affecting water pumping, adding to the previous challenges faced by millions of people to access clean water or run their heating systems.
OCHA says humanitarian organizations are working around the clock to support people in Ukraine with winter supplies, including through providing heating systems to centers hosting internally displaced people. During last four weeks, at least seven convoys of emergency supplies were sent to support the people in retaken areas of Kharkiv and Kherson oblast, including the city of Kherson.
The worst attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure came just a few days after the Ukrainian government recovered control of the city of Kherson and dozens of other towns and villages in this southern region of the country, which had been taken by Russian forces in the first weeks of the war in early March. According to the UN, over 165,000 people in villages and towns retaken by Ukraine, including the city of Kherson, face dire humanitarian situation due to extensive damages and destruction of infrastructure.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created one of the largest humanitarian disasters globally. Violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law occurring in the course of the ongoing armed attack are widespread. Millions of civilians fear for their lives. People in Ukraine continue to be killed, wounded and deeply traumatized by the violence. The war in Ukraine has led to one of the two major displacement crises in the world - the other being the Syrian civil war - with more than 14.3 million people fleeing their homes. More than 7.8 million refugees have sought refuge in foreign countries. At least 6.5 million people are displaced within Ukraine.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs coordinates the work of non-governmental organizations and other national and international actors in humanitarian emergencies. It is the principal international player on humanitarian assistance issues.
Further information
Full text: Ukraine: Situation Report, by OCHA, released November 16, 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-situation-report-16-nov-2022
Full text: Ukraine: Escalation of attacks across the country, Flash Update No.6, by OCHA, released November 15, 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-escalation-attacks-across-country-flash-update-no6-15-nov-2022-enruuk
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