Copyright kyivpost
Civilians on Ukraine’s frontlines are bracing for a harsh winter as Russian attacks on energy infrastructure push the country toward a major humanitarian crisis, the United Nations warned Friday. Matthias Schmale, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, said 2025 has been deadlier for civilians than 2024, with casualties rising 30 percent. One-third of civilian deaths and injuries this year were caused by drone attacks. “This is increasingly a technological war: a drone war,” Schmale told reporters in Geneva. The UN reported that more than 57,000 evacuees have sought help at transit sites, while markets near frontline areas are failing. For many, survival now means more than escaping bombs—it means finding water, heat, and basic food. Schmale warned that Russian strikes on power and heating networks could trap people in high-rise buildings without electricity or water as winter sets in. “Destroying energy production and distribution capacity is a form of terror,” he said. “If repairs cannot keep up with destruction, this could become a major crisis.” The UN’s winter response plan aims to assist 1.7 million people with heating, cash, and emergency aid—but it is only half funded. With ceasefire efforts stalled and Russian President Vladimir Putin rejecting calls to halt fighting, Schmale said, “Our planning assumption for 2026 is that the war continues. Right now it doesn’t feel like it will end any time soon. This is a protracted war.” He praised Ukrainians for their resilience but warned against romanticizing it. “The mental health impact of this war is increasing. Ukraine will have to deal with this for at least a generation, if not several.”
