{"id":68153,"date":"2025-09-17T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/ukraine-braces-for-harsh-winter-as-millions-of-people-face-cold-and-energy-shortages\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:00:00","slug":"ukraine-braces-for-harsh-winter-as-millions-of-people-face-cold-and-energy-shortages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=68153","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine braces for harsh winter as millions of people face cold and energy shortages"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the eastern European country in 2022, crucial infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged and hundreds of thousands of people have been impacted by the ongoing fighting, creating an urgent need for humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren and families already facing extreme daily stress are now forced to endure yet another winter during wartime,\u201d said Munir Mammadzade, The UN Children\u2019s Fund, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine.<\/p>\n

According to UNICEF, Ukraine\u2019s harsh winter conditions \u2014 often plunging to -20\u00b0C (-4\u00b0F) \u2014 together with the widespread destruction of housing, energy, and heating infrastructure, are making the cold season increasingly perilous for children.<\/p>\n

Frontline communities<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The areas most affected by cold during the winter are primarily concentrated in northern and eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n

These include regions along the frontline and the northern border, specifically Chernihivska, Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Kharkivska, and Sumska.\u202f<\/p>\n

Almost half of the families in Ukraine rely on centralized water supplied heated by gas or coal, however since 2022, local heating infrastructure has sustained nearly $2.5 billion in damage, reports the children\u2019s relief agency.\u202f<\/p>\n

To make matters worse, over the past three years, household poverty has risen by 15 per cent, now affecting over a third of Ukraine\u2019s population, with children disproportionately impacted, around 70 per cent living in poverty.<\/p>\n

UNICEF said the combination of rising poverty and harsh winter conditions significantly increases risks to children\u2019s health and well-being, with one in five families reporting health problems linked to cold indoor temperatures.<\/p>\n

Winter Response: lifesaving support\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working with local partners to provide support to vulnerable families and to minimize the impact of the winter months by keeping essential services running to protect children\u2019s lives,\u201d added Mammadzade. \u202f\u202f<\/p>\n

UNICEF Ukraine\u2019s 2025-26 winter response plan focuses on the \u201cefficacy of cash transfers\u201d to households and schools, as well as the sustainable impact of local heating repairs and upgrades, including three core areas: \u202f<\/p>\n