Russia deliberately waited for severe frosts, forcing millions into survival conditions
The Russian Federation deliberately chose January to launch massive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in order to inflict maximum damage during a period of extreme cold.
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Andrii Melnyk, stressed at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that the attacks began when temperatures in Ukraine dropped to minus 15 degrees Celsius, leaving millions of people without water, electricity and heating.
“Russia deliberately waited until early January, when temperatures in Ukraine fell to minus 15 degrees Celsius, to carry out a series of the most devastating drone and missile strikes against our energy infrastructure, leaving millions of citizens exposed to severe frost,” Melnyk stated.
Melnyk noted that every time the international community believes Russia has reached the limits of barbarity, the Kremlin surpasses itself through even greater acts of aggression. On 12 January, the UN Security Council discussed the situation amid Russia’s large-scale attacks that threaten the lives of Ukrainians, especially in freezing conditions.
“It always finds a way to sink even lower, proving that there are no limits to its criminal intentions,” Ukraine’s envoy to the UN concluded.
Municipal workers and energy specialists are working around the clock to restore heating supplies for the population affected by strikes on critical infrastructure. The scale and consequences of these actions by the Russian authorities raise serious questions about compliance with humanitarian norms and demonstrate the extent to which the Kremlin’s aggressive strategy impacts Ukraine’s civilian sector.
The Ukrainian government has introduced a new financial initiative aimed at strengthening social protection and providing additional financial incentives for energy workers involved in emergency repair teams during the winter period of 2026.
Meanwhile, Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov has appealed to residents who remain without electricity due to the critical energy situation on the left bank of the city, caused by recent strikes on infrastructure.
