As winter approaches, Ukraine faces dire challenges with essential services declining due to ongoing conflict. (Pic Credit: Reuters)
Millions of Ukrainians are preparing for another difficult winter as attacks on essential infrastructure, damaged homes and escalating living costs increase the risk of further displacement, the United Nations migration agency warned on Friday.
Nearly 3.6 million people remain internally displaced within Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, according to the IOM’s latest figures. An estimated 3.8 million people have returned to their homes after being displaced, with many finding their properties damaged or partially destroyed. The IOM said it had installed 31 solar power stations to help keep water systems operational in different parts of Ukraine. Less than 7% of the IOM’s Ukraine response plan for 2026 had received funding so far, leaving a significant gap between available resources and the assistance required.
Because water infrastructure depends heavily on electricity to function, access to reliable water supplies has emerged as a particular concern.
With temperatures expected to drop in the coming months, families across the war-torn country are struggling to ensure access to dependable heating, electricity and water after years of conflict, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. The warning comes after Russian missiles and drones targeted Ukrainian cities this week, amid concerns that the United States could reduce intelligence sharing and military assistance to Kyiv, according to the Reuters. “Winter is fast approaching in Ukraine, and for many Ukrainians, the months ahead could be the most difficult since the full-scale war began,” Dejan Keserovic, IOM deputy chief of mission in Ukraine, told reporters in Geneva via a video link from Kyiv. The agency said people who returned home within the past three months were the most likely to express an intention to leave again, highlighting growing anxiety over deteriorating living conditions. Keserovic said host countries were expected to prepare for the possibility of another influx of Ukrainians if conditions in their homeland worsened. Repeated Russian strikes on energy facilities and other critical infrastructure have placed Ukraine’s electricity, heating and water networks under increasing pressure, the IOM said.
Meanwhile, European countries, including Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic, are currently hosting approximately six million Ukrainian refugees. Missile and drone attacks have also continued to kill and injure civilians across the country, adding to the challenges faced by communities already struggling with the effects of prolonged warfare. However, the agency cautioned that the scale of humanitarian needs remained substantial. The UN agency also warned that a shortage of funding could undermine preparations for the approaching winter. The agency stressed the urgent need for additional financial support to improve home insulation and help households withstand freezing temperatures. With damaged housing, unreliable utilities and rising living costs compounding the effects of the war, humanitarian agencies face mounting pressure to ensure vulnerable families can remain safe and warm during the coming months. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.