UN warns attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure threaten millions ahead of winter

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations warned Friday that repeated attacks on civilian areas and critical infrastructure across Ukraine are worsening the humanitarian crisis ahead of winter, as renewed strikes on energy facilities trigger power outages in several regions, including Kyiv.Briefing the UN Security Council, Gemma Connell, director of the Crisis Response Division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), called on Russia and Ukraine to protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access and facilitate safe evacuations from frontline and occupied areas.Connell delivered the briefing on behalf of UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.”The past 48 hours have brought more death and destruction across Ukraine,” Connell said, citing attacks on residential neighborhoods, public transport and essential civilian infrastructure in multiple regions.She warned that repeated strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had forced authorities to reintroduce scheduled and emergency power cuts, including in the capital.”Winter preparedness cannot wait for winter,” Connell told the council, stressing the urgency of securing humanitarian funding before temperatures fall.The UN’s $358 million Winter Response Plan aims to assist more than 2 million of Ukraine’s most vulnerable people with heating, shelter, food, healthcare, cash assistance and other essential services.Connell said timely funding was critical to allow humanitarian organizations to position supplies, repair damaged homes and heating systems, and help communities prepare for freezing temperatures.She cautioned, however, that humanitarian assistance could not offset the continued destruction of infrastructure essential to civilian survival.”Ultimately, no amount of preparedness can substitute for protecting the infrastructure civilians depend on in the first place,” she said.Connell outlined three immediate priorities for the parties to the conflict, beginning with the protection of civilians and essential infrastructure in accordance with international humanitarian law.She also called for practical arrangements to guarantee humanitarian access to civilians wherever they are, including in frontline and occupied areas, and to enable safe and voluntary evacuations when necessary.Her third priority focused on protecting humanitarian workers and ensuring credible investigations and accountability when incidents involving aid personnel occur.The warning comes as Ukraine faces mounting humanitarian needs ahead of winter, with continued attacks on energy facilities threatening access to electricity, heating and other essential services.