WHO "Energy Crisis and Severe Cold... Millions in Ukraine Face Life Threats"

Zelensky Urges International Community to Strengthen Sanctions
"Attack on Energy Facilities Constitutes Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction"

(Photo by AP)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] As Russia resumed shelling Ukraine's nuclear power plants, raising concerns about a power shortage this winter, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the lives of millions of Ukrainians are at risk.

On the 21st (local time), Hans Henri Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, held a press conference in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, stating that about 10 million people are experiencing power outages due to the destruction of Ukraine's energy infrastructure caused by Russian shelling, warning that "the lives of millions of Ukrainians will be threatened this winter."

He said, "The concentrated attacks on energy infrastructure have led to shortages of electricity, heating, and drinking water, and hundreds of hospitals and medical facilities are not operating normally." He further pointed out concerns about respiratory and cardiovascular problems caused by burning forests and trees for heating or using diesel generators or electric heaters amid the power shortage. Director Kluge appealed for international support, saying, "The survival of Ukrainians depends on this winter," and "humanitarian health corridors must be established in territories that have been newly restored or are still occupied."

According to WHO, since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last February, a total of 703 attacks on medical facilities have been recorded.

On the same day, the Ukrainian government issued evacuation orders to residents of two southern regions, including the Kherson area reclaimed from Russia. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Andriivna Vereshchuk urged residents of Kherson and Mykolaiv to move to safe areas in central and western Ukraine, stating, "The government will prioritize providing transportation, accommodation, and medical services to children, the elderly, and patients." Considering the domestic power supply limitations, she also asked citizens currently abroad to refrain from returning home for the time being.

With severe cold weather expected this winter, with temperatures dropping to minus 20 degrees Celsius, the Ukrainian government appears to have taken the drastic measure of evacuating civilians to maintain power supply levels to essential institutions such as hospitals, according to AP News.

Russia has recently intensified concentrated shelling on energy infrastructure over the past weeks, including attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which accounts for one-quarter of Ukraine's total power production, on the 19th and 20th. This has caused widespread power outages across extensive areas. As a result, millions of Ukrainians are currently living without electricity, drinking water, or heating.

Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, CEO of Ukraine's state-owned power operator Ukrenergo, announced that power outages lasting more than four hours are scheduled in 15 regions across the country on the same day.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) designated Russia as a terrorist state and called for the establishment of a special international tribunal to prosecute various war crimes arising from the invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy likened Russia's shelling of energy facilities to "the use of weapons of mass destruction" and urged the international community to impose stronger sanctions against Russia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.