UN Warns Ukraine Faces Toughest Winter Since Russia's 2022 Invasion

According to the BBC, a senior United Nations official said Ukraine faces its toughest winter since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, as attacks on energy infrastructure threaten power and water supplies. Alexander De Croo, head of the UN development agency, said there was a risk of a humanitarian catastrophe if Russian strikes cut access to electricity and water, and described the effort to repair the grid before temperatures fall as a race against time. De Croo said Russia has been systematically targeting civilian and energy infrastructure, including petrol stations, shopping malls, business centers and transmission lines. He said the worst-case scenario would leave people unable to heat their homes and could disrupt water and sewage systems. The UN Development Programme is helping rebuild damaged energy assets and is also setting up more decentralized power plants that are less exposed to attack.