The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that since December 26, nationwide attacks have severely damaged civilian infrastructure, causing power, heat, and water outages as temperatures drop below freezing. Nearly 100 civilian casualties have been reported during this time.
Kyiv experienced the gravest impact on December 27, with a large-scale attack causing deaths and injuries. Critical infrastructure, residential areas, a kindergarten, a university dormitory, civilian vehicles, shops, and other facilities were damaged.
No heating in winter
According to an energy company, over a million homes in and around Kyiv lost electricity due to the strikes. Water supply was disrupted, leaving about a third of the capital’s residents without heat amid winter. The Chernihiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Odessa regions were also hit, resulting in casualties and damage to homes, schools, and infrastructure.
Electricity has been restored to nearly 750,000 homes in Kyiv and about 350,000 in the Kyivska region. However, heating and electricity disruptions continue due to emergency and planned power cuts. Humanitarian partners have established warming tents for residents to find shelter, receive food, charge phones, and access basic aid.
Essential services under threat
The attacks occur amid ongoing risks to essential services. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ukraine accounted for about 42% of all global attacks on healthcare in 2025. Of over 1,000 attacks worldwide, 561 happened in Ukraine, resulting in 19 deaths and 201 injuries.
Recently, another healthcare facility was damaged in a strike on Izmail in the Odessa region, highlighting ongoing threats to civilians and medical services as winter conditions worsen.
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