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Attacks kill civilians, cut heat as temperatures plunge

OCHA reports that between 26 December and 29 December, attacks across Ukraine continued to cause civilian casualties and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, leaving parts of Ukraine without electricity, heating and water supply as temperatures drop below zero. 

Across the country, authorities reported nearly 100 civilian casualties during this period. 

The most severe consequences were reported in Kyiv City, where a large-scale attack on 27 December killed several people and injured dozens more people. Energy facilities, residential buildings, a preschool, a university dormitory, civilian vehicles, shops and other civilian premises were damaged. According to an energy company, more than 1 million homes in and around Kyiv lost power. Around one third of the city’s population – some 3 million people – was left without heating, and water supply was also disrupted. While electricity has since been restored to nearly 750,000 households in Kyiv and almost 350,000 households across the Kyivska Region, emergency and scheduled power outages remain in effect, with heating and electricity supply still partially affected. 

Similar impacts were reported elsewhere. Civilians in the regions of Chernihiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Sumy were affected by the same wave of attacks, which caused additional casualties and damaged energy infrastructure, educational facilities and businesses. 

Together, these incidents reflect a continued pattern of strikes on energy facilities in densely populated urban areas, disrupting critical services such as electricity and heating. Repair work remains challenging due to the threat of repeated attacks. 

In response to these developments, aid workers mobilized emergency assistance in affected areas, particularly in Kharkiv, Kyiv City and the Kyiv Region. Support included first medical aid, psychosocial services, hot meals, repair materials and other items for affected families. Warming tents were set up to allow people to warm up, receive food, charge their phones and access other assistance, while legal support was provided to help restore lost documents and apply for compensation for damaged or destroyed property. Separately, on 27 December, humanitarian partners delivered 15 emergency convector heater sets to the Kherson Region to help maintain basic services amid continued attacks, and UNICEF provided a diesel generator to a children’s health facility in the Odesa Region. 

The impact of hostilities on essential services also extended to healthcare. Over the weekend, another health facility was damaged in a strike in the town of Izmail in the region of Odesa. Overall, Ukraine accounted for nearly 43 per cent of all attacks on health care globally in 2025. Between 1 January and 29 December 2025, 561 of the 1,320 attacks on medical facilities, personnel, patients, warehouses, transport and supplies recorded worldwide in the WHO Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care occurred in Ukraine. These attacks resulted in 19 deaths and 201 injuries, further undermining access to essential health services, particularly in front-line areas where many remaining residents are older people with chronic health conditions.