Ukrainians may be cut off for 18 hours a day: the UN asked Russia to stop shelling

In the worst-case scenario, Ukrainians may be cut off from electricity for 18 hours a day in winter. However, under other conditions, their total duration will not exceed 4 hours. The reason for the possible blackouts is the results of Russia's shelling of Ukraine's energy infrastructure. In this regard, the UN asked Russia to immediately stop the shelling.

This is stated in the report of the observers of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). They noted that

• due to low temperatures, the need for electricity will increase;
• therefore, the consequences of the previous strikes will be exacerbated.

"Ukraine's electricity transmission company announced in June that the population would face a severe winter with electricity shortages of more than 30% due to a shortage of three to six gigawatts of electricity during peak hours. Experts told the HRMMU that this shortage could lead to power cuts of 4 to 18 hours a day in winter," the report said.

In this regard, the HRMMU made an official recommendation to Russia "to immediately stop attacks on the electricity infrastructure critical to the civilian population of Ukraine". This, they noted, has an extremely negative impact on, among other things:

• the health of the Ukrainian population;
• education;
• Ukraine's economy.

"As of May 2024, energy companies' losses exceeded USD 18 billion, with the electricity generation sector suffering the most. Small and medium-sized businesses that participated in a UNDP survey in July 2024 reported a loss of revenue of about 30%. Cities whose economies depend on power plants have lost significant tax revenues," the report says.

At the same time, the UN recommended that the international community support efforts to repair and restore power generation and transmission facilities in Ukraine. And also:

• Pay attention to and provide humanitarian assistance to the population affected by the attacks on energy infrastructure, including internally displaced persons.
• Support efforts to ensure accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including attacks on electricity infrastructure.

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