Children in Ukraine Face Frigid Winter Weather this Christmas as Latest Attacks Trigger Massive Power Cuts

Children and families in Ukraine are being left without heat, power, or water in freezing winter temperatures after the latest attacks triggered widespread power cuts just days before Christmas, Save the Children said.

As families prepare for the holidays, the latest attacks in Ukraine have caused widespread power cuts as temperatures this week drop to below -10 degrees C in parts of the country. The attacks have reportedly killed a four-year-old child in Zhytomyr region as energy facilities in western regions were hit the hardest.

Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for Save the Children in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said:

“The holidays should be a time for celebration, laughter and fun with family and loved ones. Instead, families in Ukraine are once again facing another winter with repeated and prolonged electricity blackouts, leaving families with the prospect of little to no way to heat their homes, wash themselves and their clothes, or cook hot meals. “It is a matter of life or death if families cannot heat their homes. As long as attacks against energy infrastructure continue, this winter may appear as devastating for children and displaced families in Ukraine as are missiles and artillery rounds.”

Save the Children has been working in Ukraine since 2014 and has scaled up operations since the war escalated in February 2022. The organization now has a team of about 200 staff based in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Dnipro. Working with more than 25 partners, Save the Children has provided support to more than 4.2 million people, including around 1.6 million children.

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