Russian attack on Ukraine's energy sites could trigger 'tipping point' as winter sets in, says UN

The UN warned on Friday that renewed Russian targeting of Ukraine’s already devastated energy infrastructure this winter could cause severe hardship and spur new mass movements of people.

“If they were to target the energy sector again, this could be a tipping point,” warned Matthias Schmale, the United Nations’ resident humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine.

It could “tip the scale”, he warned, “for further mass movement, both inside the country and outside”.

With Russia’s full-scale invasion approaching the 1,000-day mark, 3.7 million people have already been displaced inside Ukraine and around 6.7 million have fled as refugees, according to UN figures.

The war has killed more than 12,000 people and left nearly 40 per cent of the population in need of humanitarian aid, UN data shows.

Ukraine is now bracing for its most difficult winter of the war yet.

Russia has already destroyed 65 per cent of its energy production capacity.

In the first two winters of the war, millions of Ukrainians endured regular blackouts and periods of biting cold with no heating.

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Schmale told reporters in Geneva the situation was worse this year.

While temperatures this year are not expected to fall as low as last winter, “the main worry is the level of destruction”, he said.

‘Not enough’

The situation appears to be “far worse than last winter”, he said. “It’s a race against time.”

Schmale voiced concern about the impact that drawn-out power cuts could have on the large number of people living in city tower blocks.

“You can evidently not deliver a tonne of solid fuel to the high-rise buildings” if the power grid fails, he said.

There were shelters where people could go to have a warm meal and take a warm shower, he said, “but that of course is not enough”.

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Schmale was in Geneva to appeal, among other things, for more funds towards a $500-million winter response plan for Ukraine, which is currently just halfway funded.

“We’ve so far reached about half of the 1.7 million people we were intending … to reach,” he said.

So far this year, the UN has provided 7.2 million people in Ukraine with at least one type of humanitarian aid, he said.

It has received $1.8 billion in funds of the more than $3.0 billion requested.

The funding “trend is clearly downwards” since the first year of the war, when more than $4.0 billion was received, Schmale said.