The top United Nations official in Ukraine says as winter approaches, millions of people are beyond the reach of humanitarians in non-government-controlled areas and are likely in need of assistance.
“And it's a fact that we regularly request access across the front line from both countries and unfortunately, the Russian Federation has not yet granted us that access,” Denise Brown, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine told VOA in an interview. “It’s a purely humanitarian request, based on humanitarian imperative.”
WATCH: VOA Interviews Denise Brown
Brown said they would continue to seek access to Russian-controlled areas in the south and east.
Ukraine’s large elderly population is also quite vulnerable, and her teams are trying to reach more communities in remote, rural areas through local organizations.
Winter is coming
Brown, who arrived in Ukraine to take up her post two-and-a-half months ago, is ramping up winterization assistance across the country. Her teams are helping communities repair heaters, fix damaged roofs and distribute mattresses, blankets and warm clothing. They are also reaching out to hospitals with backup generators and mobile heating kits.
Ukraine has harsh winters which begin in mid-November and run through mid-March. Average temperatures are around freezing and there is heavy snowfall.
Already suffering from Russia’s invasion, heating homes will be more difficult this year, as Russian drone and missile attacks have targeted critical infrastructure in recent days.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukrainians to conserve energy, as he estimates 30% of the country’s power stations have been destroyed in the past week.
“We have huge concerns, I have huge concerns, for what is going to happen over the winter,” Brown said. “We are not going to be able to cover all of the needs; we are really focusing on those communities closest to the front line, the most difficult to reach where people have really suffered from the war.”
Brown, who has worked for more than 25 years in emergency situations including in Iraq, Haiti, Somalia and the Central African Republic, says the U.N. is committed to staying and delivering.
The U.N. has appealed for $4.3 billion this year to assist Ukrainians, of which they have received nearly $3 billion, making it the second most funded appeal in the organization’s history (Yemen in 2019 received $3.6 billion). Next year’s needs assessment is being drawn up.
In addition to food, shelter and other assistance, the World Health Organization is working with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health to help provide psycho-social support to the estimated 10 million people who need it.
Brown says that includes people from soldiers who will be demobilized to traumatized children.
On a recent mission to the southern city of Mykolaiv, which has been the target of repeated Russian attacks, she spoke with the mayor.
“And the first thing he did was look me straight in the eye and say, ‘33 days of silence’ -- 33 days of silence since the beginning of the war in February. What does that do then to children who every time they hear that [air raid] siren get stressed?” Brown said.
She says humanitarians provide a critical safety net for the stressed population.
“The war is not over. Our work is not done, and the population continues to have huge, huge needs,” she said.
