The UN warned on Friday that renewed Russian targeting of Ukraine’s already devastated energy infrastructure this winter could cause severe hardship and spur new mass movements of people.
“If they were to target the energy sector again, this could be a tipping point,” warned Matthias Schmale, the United Nations’ resident humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine.
It could “tip the scale”, he warned, “for further mass movement, both inside the country and outside”.
With Russia’s full-scale invasion approaching the 1,000-day mark, 3.7 million people have already been displaced inside Ukraine and around 6.7 million have fled as refugees, according to UN figures.
The war has killed more than 12,000 people and left nearly 40 per cent of the population in need of humanitarian aid, UN data shows.
Ukraine is now bracing for its most difficult winter of the war yet.