Russian attacks on major energy structures in Ukraine have left nearly seven million children without stable access to electricity, heating and water, a situation at risk for the winter, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
Due to the power cuts, children not only face extreme cold, as temperatures in the region can reach minus 20 degrees Celsius, but also disrupted distance education, the only means of schooling after numerous attacks on educational centers.
«Beyond the immediate threats brought on by the cold, children are also deprived of the ability to learn or keep in touch with friends and family, putting both their physical and mental health at serious risk,» said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Similarly, power outages can affect the proper functioning of essential health services, while water system failures can increase the risk of pneumonia, influenza, Covid-19 and waterborne diseases.
The destruction of infrastructure in the nearly 10 months of conflict has decimated household incomes and made access to basic services difficult, a particularly serious situation for 6.5 million people, including 1.2 million children, who are currently internally displaced.
«It is also essential that UNICEF and our humanitarian partners have rapid and unimpeded access to children and their families in need of humanitarian assistance, no matter where they are,» added Russell.
Increased Russian attacks have destroyed 40 percent of energy production in Ukraine, leaving families exposed to winter temperatures and eroding livelihoods capacity. As of November 28, the Ukrainian energy system was only able to supply 70 percent of peak demand for power generation, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski asked the European Union on Tuesday to increase electricity exports during his speech at the international conference of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, organized by France and Ukraine.
«We have to agree on concrete measures that will help not only Ukrainians to survive the winter, but also to demonstrate to any anti-European and anti-democratic forces that Europe has learned to prevent catastrophes and protect its people,» said the president, as reported by the Ukrainian Presidency.
Russia justifies the attacks on the energy supports as part of its military strategy: «These infrastructures support the combat capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the nationalist battalions», defended the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, during a televised press conference two weeks ago.
