UKRAINE, June 21—The UN believes that Ukrainians will have to move out of their settlements in the winter if Ukraine does not receive help with restoring its energy infrastructure, said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Ukraine Karolina Lindkholm Billinh, Ukrinform reports.

In the spring of 2024, the Russian army attacked Ukrainian energy facilities with missiles and drone strikes. On May 8, the Prime Minister reported that they had destroyed or damaged 800 heating facilities in the country.

In particular, the March attacks destroyed the power and heating infrastructure supplying Kharkiv and its region. Currently, local power plants are unable to generate enough electricity to cover all consumer needs, so Kharkiv supplies it from other regions.

Karolina Lindkholm Billinh emphasized the importance of rebuilding the energy infrastructure destroyed or damaged by the Russian army, decentralizing energy generation, and providing support at the individual or household level, such as cash for utility bills.

“If we don’t prepare for winter now, people may not be ready to stay in their homes this winter and will be forced to move again,” explained the UNHCR representative.

Ukraine will receive more than $1 billion for the energy sector from G7+ partners, which includes more than €70 million in new grant contributions to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund.  

In addition, Ukraine will get $500 million of new financing from the United States to support the energy sector, €300 million of additional financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and at least $47 million as an additional grant from the World Bank and humanitarian aid from EU member states.

Read more

  • The Ukrainian government has allocated an additional $61 million for Kharkiv and the oblast to restore the region’s power grid, announced the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.