According to Unicef ”children are faced not only with extreme cold – winter temperatures can drop below -20 degrees Celsius – but they are also unable to benefit from online learning opportunities”
Russian strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure pose increasing risks to “almost all children in Ukraine – that’s almost seven million children -” as temperatures continue to drop as winter approaches in the country, Unicef warned today.
Without constant access to electricity, heating or water, “children are not only faced with extreme cold – winter temperatures can drop below -20 degrees Celsius – but they are also unable to benefit from online learning opportunities, the which are the only means of access to education for many children, as many schools have been damaged or destroyed,” notes the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) in a statement.
Moreover, health facilities may not be able to provide basic services and faulty water systems increase the already extremely high risks of pneumonia, seasonal flu, waterborne diseases and COVID-19, he adds.
And “in addition to the immediate threat posed by cold conditions, children are also deprived of the ability to learn or maintain contact with their friends and relatives, which puts both their physical and mental health at great risk,” also notes Unicef director general Kathryn Russell.
Russia, which is in a difficult position in the war it unleashed with its invasion of Ukraine, has since October engaged in a strategy of massive strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, especially energy, to weaken the population as winter sets in.
So far, 40% of Ukraine’s power generation capacity has been destroyed, and despite repairs, Ukraine’s energy system was only able to meet 70% of demand on November 28, when consumption peaked, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Currently, Unicef specifies that it needs 1.1 billion dollars to meet the immediate and long-term needs of 9.4 million people, including 4 million children, to provide, maintain and expand basic health services, nutrition, child protection, addressing gender-based violence, water supply, sanitation and hygiene or even social protection.
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