Ukraine civilians bear brunt of escalating attacks as winter closes in

Speaking in New York on Monday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, was deeply concerned by the scale and spread of the latest attacks.

“In recent days we’ve seen an alarming pattern of intensifying hostilities in frontline areas and persistent attacks on critical civilian infrastructure,” he said.

Nationwide disruption

“These strikes are resulting in more power outages and disruptions to vital services nationwide.”

Between Friday and the early hours of Monday morning, authorities reported more than 100 civilian casualties, including nearly 20 deaths.

Two children were reportedly killed, and several more injured. The worst-hit regions were Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry confirmed new attacks on critical facilities in at least eight regions across the north, east and south.

The strikes triggered emergency outages and prolonged scheduled power cuts, leaving communities without reliable electricity.

“Apart from electricity, heating and water supplies were also interrupted in Chernihiv, Kremenchuk and other parts of the Chernihiv and Poltava regions,” Mr. Dujarric said.

Health services were also caught in the crossfire. In Kherson City, a World Health Organization (WHO) team reported that an attack on Thursday damaged the water and gas supply to a maternity ward.

Railway station destroyed

Elsewhere, homes and civilian infrastructure suffered extensive damage; in the Kyiv region, an attack destroyed the railway station in Fastiv Town.

Humanitarian teams are stepping up emergency aid and winter assistance, but needs are rising sharply.

“These latest developments raise concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine as colder weather sets in,” Mr Dujarric warned.

During a recent mission to the Sumy and Chernihiv regions, UN staff reported growing demand for generators, fuel and other winter supplies as communities struggle to stay warm and connected.