Winter will deepen the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine
27.11.2025
Reading time
3 minutes
The situation for civilians in Ukraine is becoming increasingly dramatic as winter approaches. After months of intensive missile and drone attacks, hitting both areas near the front lines and cities far from direct combat, the next target of Russian forces has become the energy infrastructure. In October, there were three major waves of attacks, causing emergency power outages across most regions. This heightens fears about the coming cold and its effects on the civilian population.
In October alone, at least 148 civilians were killed and nearly 930 were injured. As UN data show, long-range attacks—missile and cruise munition strikes—are already responsible for almost one-third of all casualties. The hardest-hit regions are Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson, where regular shelling destroys homes, hospitals, kindergartens, and other essential social facilities.
– The daily life of people living near the front line is constant uncertainty. When there is no electricity, heating, or access to basic services, even the simplest tasks become a struggle for survival – emphasizes Ewa Piekarska-Dymus, president of the Polish Medical Mission. – As temperatures drop, the consequences of attacks on energy infrastructure will be even more tragic, especially for the elderly and chronically ill.
The destruction of medical facilities and evacuation of staff mean that access to healthcare in frontline regions is increasingly limited. In this situation, mobile clinics play a crucial role, including those run by the Polish Medical Mission in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. Teams composed of doctors, nurses, and psychologists reach towns that regularly experience shelling, offering basic medical care and laboratory diagnostics, psychological support, and essential medications.
According to data collected by international organizations, practically most people living in Ukraine have been struggling with mental health problems—extreme stress, insomnia, or anxiety related to constant alarms and bombardments—since the start of the full-scale invasion. PMM mobile teams observe similar trends. A significant portion of patients report an immediate need for psychological help.
– Emotional fatigue and a sense of constant threat affect everyone: civilians, but also medical staff working under extreme conditions – says Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart from the Polish Medical Mission. – That is why in our clinics, psychological care is just as important as medical care. People need someone to talk to, support, and the feeling that someone remembers them.
PMM clinics provide about a thousand medical and psychological consultations per month, over half of which concern elderly patients. The Polish Medical Mission also supports Ukrainian neonatal units through a project co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, providing equipment and training for medical staff.
In the face of the coming winter, humanitarian needs will grow week by week. Attacks on energy infrastructure, limited access to healthcare, and rising psychological support needs make medical and humanitarian aid a matter of survival for thousands of people.
