KYIV, 15 January 2025 – Freezing temperatures of up to –20 degrees Celsius (-4F) have forced the closure of many schools across Ukraine so far this year, after a near doubling of attacks on energy infrastructure causes widespread power outages with a state of emergency declared today, Save the Children said.
Electricity and heating disruptions have delayed children’s return to education after the Christmas holidays, compounding nearly four years of lost education, as temperatures drop to - 20C at night and - 12C in the day as snow falls in Kyiv every day.
Sonia Khush, Ukraine Country Director, Save the Children said:
“As temperatures plummet across Ukraine, the war is freezing children out of their classrooms. The new year has left children and families in limbo as intensified attacks on energy infrastructure means many schools have not reopened for over two weeks, due to heating systems collapsing.
“Winter is being used as a weapon of war in Ukraine as children are unable to escape the cold at school or at home.
"Large parts of Kyiv currently remain without power, with many people facing daily outages for as long as 12 hours. Hundreds of residential buildings have gone days without any warmth as central heating systems are partially operational, with complete disruptions in some areas. People can't wash themselves with warm water or cook, let alone stay warm in these extreme winter temperatures.
Data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project (ACLED) shows there were 511 attacks where energy infrastructure was targeted and/or damaged in the last quarter of 2025, compared to 294 between July and September last year. There has been no let-up in 2026, with 36 incidents which damaged energy infrastructure recorded in the first 10 days of 2026 alone.
“These attacks are not only hitting infrastructure, but they are disrupting children’s education and well-being in the depths of winter. As the fourth year of war nears its end, children in Ukraine are systematically being denied their right to education. Save the Children is calling for an end to the war on children and attacks on civilian infrastructure.” said Sonia Khush.
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.
Education is a major focus for Save the Children in Ukraine, and the aid group supports children to continue to learn both in-person and remotely through a combination of catch-up lessons, the creation of classrooms in shelters, repairing schools and kindergartens, and establishing Digital Learning Centres across Ukraine, providing safe access to learning and play.
ENDS
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