“These power outages are not just technical disturbances“, said.”They directly undermine women’s safety, security and economic security..”
Ms Calltorp explained that the 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 that are most affected 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 starts a life from scratch in a new city and inspires other displaced women.
No electricity, no school, no salary
“In kyiv, in a heated tent that had been set up to help citizens, I met with Irina… She told me: ‘No electricity means no school for my children and no electricity means no work for me. It means no salary.'”
UN Women reported that 2025 was the deadliest year of conflict for women until now and that since February 24, 2022, More than 5,000 women and girls have been confirmed dead and 14,000 injured. and the real cost is probably much higher.
Despite the challenges, Ukraine’s women are “moving the country forward” and women-led organizations are at the center of the humanitarian response, Ms Calltorp said. They provide vital protection, psychosocial support, emergency assistance and livelihood opportunities to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians; However, they are now seriously threatened due to funding cuts.
One in three women-led organizations warned they may not survive more than six months, according to a recent survey focused on the impact of cuts to foreign aid.
“Due to funding reductions in 2025 and 2026, these organizations in Ukraine are expected to lose at least 53.9 million dollars “By the end of the year,” said UN Women representative in Ukraine Sabine Freizer Gunes. “If this continues, it is estimated that in 2026 some 63,000 women will lose access to services”, such as supporting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
“There will be more women who will need psychosocial and legal support. There will be less political participation for women, less economic opportunities and less economic growth in Ukraine. Weakening women’s organizations at this time risks weakening Ukraine’s entire humanitarian and recovery architecture.”said Ms. Freizer Gunes.
Women fleeing combat zones in Donetsk and Luhansk provinces queue for humanitarian aid.
Vulnerable groups severely affected by attacks on energy infrastructure
Regarding 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.”.”
“For older people, people with disabilities and those who suffer from chronic diseases, this puts their lives in danger,” he insisted.
Speaking from kyiv, Ms Wah said that while “cold houses increase illness”, the psychosocial cost of power outages is “equally serious”.
“Prolonged darkness, isolation and constant uncertainty are exhausting communities,” he stressed. “Many people have experienced traumatic events, but access to specialist mental health and psychosocial support services remains limited.”
The devastating health effects of conflict are even greater Deepened by attacks on healthcare. that are “serious and widespread” in Ukraine, said World Health Organization (WHO) 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 beyond their emergency capacity, with workforces exhausted and infrastructure damaged,” Lindmeier warned.
The WHO spokesperson also said that The reported number of people with disabilities has increased by almost 390,000, or more than 10 percent.from February 2022.
Beyond this figure, “what is missing is the support (for people with disabilities), the freedom of movement of people, the lack of supplies.”
“The numbers are one thing. The story behind them is much bigger,” he insisted.