Ukraine faces freezing winter under fire as UN warns of rising civilian toll

This article is published in association with United Nations.

With temperatures plunging below freezing and cities facing long, daily power cuts, Ukrainian civilians are again bracing for winter under fire, as UN officials warned the Security Council that intensified attacks on energy infrastructure and shrinking aid budgets are taking a major toll.

Briefing ambassadors, Kayoko Gotoh, Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said 2025 has been one of the deadliest years for civilians since Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago.

Civilian casualties between January and November were 24 per cent higher than during the same period last year, she said, as Russian aerial attacks escalated nationwide.

Local authorities in Russia have also reported civilian casualties from Ukrainian strikes.

Ms. Gotoh stressed that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law “no matter where they occur, they are unacceptable and must stop.”

Civilians under attack

Recent missile and drone strikes have repeatedly hit energy and transport systems across multiple regions.

On the night of 5-6 December alone, dozens of civilians were injured and hundreds of thousands were left without electricity and basic utilities after large-scale strikes in ten regions.

Since February 2022, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has verified at least 14,775 civilian deaths in Ukraine, including 755 children, with another 39,322 injured. The true toll is feared to be far higher.

Attacks in the Black Sea region were also reported, including Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil tankers and the Azov Sea port of Temryuk, while Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian port of Odesa. Broadcast of the Security Council meeting.

Systematic assault on civilian life

Beyond the immediate casualties, the destruction of power and heating systems is pushing entire communities toward crisis.

“Systematic attacks on energy infrastructure in the middle of winter threaten to leave millions without reliable heating, water and public transportation,” Ms. Gotoh warned, noting that elderly people and persons with disabilities are becoming trapped in high-rise buildings without functioning elevators.

Repair crews are struggling to keep pace. Rolling blackouts of 12 to 18 hours are cutting heat and water to entire apartment blocks in several regions.

“People can survive without electricity for a time, but not without heat,” a local doctor told a UN team. “Without heat, our elderly patients decline within hours.”

Funds dwindling

Humanitarian officials warned that funding is falling short just as winter needs peak.

Only about two-thirds of the $279 million required for Ukraine’s Winter Response Plan has been received, forcing cuts to essential services such as heating support, cash assistance, mental health care and protection for women and girls.

The broader 2026 response calls for $2.3 billion to assist 4.1 million people inside Ukraine.

UN keeps delivering

Despite insecurity and access constraints, aid operations continue. Around 44 inter-agency convoys have reached some 50,000 civilians in frontline areas with food, medical supplies and winter materials this year, Joyce Msuya, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, told ambassadors.

Access remains volatile and risks to aid workers are on the rise. Ms. Msuya urged the Security Council to “to use the tools available at your disposal” to protect civilians and ensure compliance with humanitarian principles.

“The people of Ukraine do not have the privilege of waiting for better conditions. They are enduring a fourth winter since the escalation of this war, under fire and in the dark,” she said.

“What they need from this Council is not only sympathy but concrete action to reduce harm and safeguard the humanitarian action that stands between survival and catastrophe.”