The head of the United Nations Development Programme, Alexander De Croo, has warned that Ukraine risks a humanitarian catastrophe this winter if Russian attacks cut off access to electricity and water, the BBC reported.
De Croo, the third-highest ranking UN official, said there was now a "race against time" to restore the power grid before winter sets in and temperatures fall sharply.
He said this winter would be the harshest since the war began. According to De Croo, Ukraine is entering the winter with a very weak base, and the UN is very, very concerned about what the winter could bring.
Attacks on energy infrastructure
De Croo said the concern stemmed from Russia's systematic strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure. He said the targets included petrol stations, shopping centres and business centres, but that power infrastructure and transmission lines were particularly affected, adding that there was absolutely no justification for this.
He warned this could lead to a worst-case scenario in which people struggle to access heating and water supply and sewage systems stop working. De Croo said that at the temperatures seen in Ukraine, this could bring the country close to a humanitarian catastrophe.
Rebuilding the power grid
As part of efforts to prepare Ukraine for winter, the UN Development Programme is helping to repair energy facilities damaged last winter. It is also building more resilient, decentralised power stations that are less vulnerable to attack.
De Croo described completing this difficult and dangerous work as a nearly impossible task. He said workers were restoring these facilities under constant, continuous air raid alerts, fully aware that they were working at a site that was itself a target.
Winter forecasts
Austrian military expert Markus Reisner has previously written that Russia is counting on using the coming winter to increase pressure on Ukraine, striking not only military targets but also energy and critical infrastructure.
Reisner said that with the front line largely unchanged, the Kremlin may be betting on wearing down Ukrainian society instead.
