“These energy disruptions are not just technical disruptionsshe said.They directly undermine women’s safety, protection and economic security.”
Ms Calltorp explained that prolonged darkness, lack of street lighting and disrupted transport “severely restrict women’s mobility and increase exposure to harassment and accidents.”
Many Ukrainian women work in sectors hardest hit by prolonged power outages, such as education, health, social services and retail, and are now losing their jobs, the UN Women official said.
A widowed mother of eight children starts a new life in a new city and inspires other displaced women.
No electricity, no school, no salary
“In Kiev, in a heated tent set up to support citizens, I met Irina… She told me: ‘No electricity means no school for my children and no electricity means no job for me. It means no salary.'”
UN Women reported this 2025 was the conflict’s deadliest year for women until now and since February 24, 2022, More than 5,000 women and girls have been confirmed killed and 14,000 injured. with the actual toll likely being much higher.
Despite the challenges, Ukrainian women are “carrying the country forward” and women-led organizations are at the heart of the humanitarian response, Ms. Calltorp said. They provide essential protection, psychosocial support, emergency aid and livelihood opportunities to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians – but they are now seriously threatened by budget cuts.
One in three women-led organizations warned they may not survive for more than six months, according to a recent survey focused on the impact of foreign aid cuts
“As a result of the budget cuts in 2025 and 2026, these organizations in Ukraine are expected to at least $53.9 million by the end of the year,” said UN Women’s Representative to Ukraine Sabine Freizer Gunes.If this continues, an estimated 63,000 women will lose access to services by 2026” such as support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
“There will be more women in need of psychosocial and legal support. There will be less political participation for women, fewer economic opportunities and less economic growth in Ukraine.” Weakening women’s organizations at this time threatens to weaken Ukraine’s entire humanitarian and recovery architecture” said Mrs. Freizer Gunes.
Vulnerable groups are hit hard by attacks on energy infrastructure
Turning to the broader humanitarian impact of the energy crisis, Jaime Wah, Deputy Head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Delegation in Ukraine, said: When the power goes out, “it is often the most vulnerable who bear the consequences.”
“This is life-threatening for the elderly, people with disabilities and people with chronic diseases,” she emphasizes.
Speaking from Kiev, Ms Wah said that while “cold houses increase the disease”, the psychosocial toll of the power outages is “equally serious”.
“Prolonged darkness, isolation and constant uncertainty are exhausting communities,” she stressed. “Many people have experienced traumatic events, but access to specialist mental health care and psychosocial support remains limited.”
The devastating health toll of the conflict is even greater deepened by attacks on healthcare that are “severe and widespread” in Ukraine, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) said spokesman Christian Lindmeier.
Over the past four years, WHO has verified more than 2,870 confirmed attacks, resulting in 233 deaths and 937 injuries among healthcare workers and patients.
“Facilities are operating above peak capacity, while workforces are depleted and infrastructure is damaged,” Mr. Lindmeier warned.
The WHO spokesperson also said this the reported number of people with disabilities increased by almost 390,000, or more than 10 percentsince February 2022.
Besides this figure “it is the support [for people with disabilities] that is lacking, the freedom of movement of people, the lack of supplies.”
“The numbers are one thing: the story behind them [them is] a much bigger one,” he emphasized.
#Ukrainian #women #breaking #point #years #war #attacks #energy #healthcare #continue #humanitarians