Just six weeks after the intense Russian bombing of energy infrastructure, Ukraine has become a “humanitarian catastrophe” this winter, as millions of people are likely to face “fatal conditions” without electricity, not heating and water, according to the Washington Post.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Clicho, also announced that 70% of the capital areas are without electricity, and indicated that most thermal power plants are isolated from the electricity network due to the Russian bombing of the country.
Ukrainian and Western officials are the alarm, warning of the severe humanitarian repercussions of Russian missile attacks on vital structures, after the increase in the extent of the damage that affected it in recent days.
The newspaper pointed out the difficulty of reforming the Ukrainian energy systems dating back to the Soviet era, explaining that in the most affected cities, “officials have nothing to do except to urge the population to flee”, which increases the risk of the collapse of the economy in Ukraine and the emergence of a new refugee crisis In European countries.
While the World Health Organization warned that the priority of Ukraine will be this winter “salvation”, due to the severe cold associated with the power outages.
After a relatively warm autumn, the temperatures in most parts of Ukraine decreased below zero, with the onset of snow.
Russia launched a violent missile shelling on Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure and residential areas throughout the country, causing power outages in most parts of the country.
These strikes also exacerbated the power and water outage from the capital, Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said, in a statement, that the bombing left “the vast majority of consumers without electricity”, and the strikes also disrupted heat and water supplies, due to temporary closure “with most thermal and water stations.
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Ukrainian President Foludmir Zellinski, on Wednesday, called on the international community to a “firm response” to the Russian strikes that targeted the energy infrastructure in his country.
“His country was subjected to 70 missiles during the day,” Zellinski said at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The Ukrainian president added that “Russian strikes targeted residential neighborhoods, hospitals, and schools.
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Zelinski accused Russia of trying to “convert the cold of winter in his country into a weapon of mass destruction. ”
And he added: “We have less temperatures than scratch and millions of people without energy supplies, without heating and water . . . It is a clear crime against humanity. ”
He also called on the United Nations to send an additional team to examine and evaluate the vital infrastructure of Ukraine, which was affected by Russian strikes..
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