Ukrainian authorities asked civilians in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions to look for safer places to protect themselves from the upcoming boreal winter, fearing that the lack of electricity, heat and water due to Russian bombing make living conditions too difficult.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed to warn that millions of people are facing a “life-threatening” winter in Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities urged residents of the two regions of south, which Russian forces have bombarded for months, so that they move to safer areas in the center and west of the country.
Winter in Ukraine: people’s health cannot be held hostage
My statement at our press briefing in Kyiv today: https://t.co/9VqVli0BCQ
— Hans Kluge ( @hans_kluge) November 02,
Transportation, accommodation and medical care
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister , Iryna Vereshchuk, said on Monday that the government will provide them with transportation, accommodation and medical care, with priority given to women with children, the sick and the elderly.
Vereshchuk last month asked citizens now living abroad not to return to Ukraine during the winter to conserve energy.
Other officials have suggested that residents in kyiv or elsewhere who can afford to leave Ukraine do so for a few months, to save for hospitals and other key facilities.
WHO issued a chilling warning on Monday about the human impact of the energy crisis in Ukraine, saying that this winter will endanger the lives of millions of people.
Lethal effects on the health system
The damage “is already having lethal effects on the health system and on the health of the people”, declared Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
“Attacks on health and energy infrastructure mean that hundreds of hospitals and health centers are no longer fully operational, as they lack fuel, water and electricity,” he added.
The regional director specified that up to three million people may be forced to leave their homes in search of safety and warmth. “They will have to face health challenges, including respiratory infections such as COVID-19, pneumonia, the flu,” he warned. . In addition, there will be a “serious risk of diphtheria and measles for an under-vaccinated population.”
Russia bombed Ukraine’s energy facilities in recent weeks, leaving millions of homes without electricity coinciding with the first snowfall. The attacks on the Ukrainian power grid follow a series of Russian pushbacks on the battlefield, including its withdrawal from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.
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