UN warns Ukraine faces toughest winter since 2022 invasion

September 12, 2026 at 10:55 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

UN development chief Alexander De Croo warned Ukraine faces its toughest winter since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, citing systematic attacks on energy infrastructure. He said there is a race against the clock to repair the power network before temperatures plummet. The warning comes as both sides intensify aerial strikes, with recent attacks killing at least seven people and wounding over 120 in Ukraine and Russia.

Key Facts

Alexander De Croo, head of the UN development agency, said Ukraine faces its toughest winter since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
De Croo accused Russia of systematically targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure, including petrol stations, shopping malls, and business centres.
Five people were killed and 67 wounded in a Russian drone strike on a shopping mall in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, on Thursday.
Russia reported a Ukrainian seaborne drone attack on Sochi overnight Wednesday that wounded 28 people.

UN Warning

Alexander De Croo, the UN's third most senior official and former Belgian prime minister, told the BBC that "this winter is going to be the toughest one since the war." He said Ukraine started "from a very weak base going into this winter" and that the UN was "very, very worried... about what this winter could become." De Croo accused Russia of "very systematic" targeting of civilian and energy infrastructure, stating there is "absolutely no justification" for attacks on petrol stations, shopping malls, business centres, and energy transmission lines.

Recent Strikes

Five people were killed and 67 wounded in a daytime Russian drone strike on a shopping mall in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, on Thursday, according to Ukrainian officials. Earlier in the week, Russian air strikes on shopping malls in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy killed two people and injured 28. Russia reported a Ukrainian seaborne drone attack on the resort city of Sochi overnight Wednesday that wounded 28 people, and blamed Ukrainian attacks for three more deaths. Two people were killed when Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova earlier this week.