NEWS QUOTE: Children in Ukraine face bitter winter weather this Christmas as latest attacks trigger massive power cuts
KYIV 23 December 2026 – Children and families in Ukraine are being left without heat, power or water in freezing winter temperatures after the latest attacks triggered widespread power cuts, just days before Christmas, Save the Children said.
As families prepare for the holidays, the latest attacks in Ukraine have caused widespread power cuts as temperatures this week drop to below -10C in parts of the country. The attacks have reportedly killed a four-year-old child in Zhytomyr region as energy facilities in western regions were hit the hardest.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for Save the Children in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said:
“The holidays should be a time for celebration, laughter and fun with family and loved ones. Instead, families in Ukraine are once again facing another winter with repeated and prolonged electricity blackouts, leaving families with the prospect of little to no way to heat their homes, wash themselves and their clothes, or cook hot meals.
“It is a matter of life or death if families cannot heat their homes. As long as attacks against energy infrastructure continue, this winter may appear as devastating for children and displaced families in Ukraine, as are missiles and artillery rounds.”
Save the Children has been working in Ukraine since 2014 and has scaled up operations since the war escalated in February 2022 and now has a team of about 200 staff based in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Dnipro. Working with more than 25 partners, the organisation has provided support to more than 4.2 million people, including around 1.6 million children.
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