Residents of devastated cities in southern Ukraine are ordered to relocate by the Kiev government. Winter has begun in the country and the inhabitants of the destroyed cities find it difficult to keep warm. The World Health Organization (WHO) fears for the lives of millions of Ukrainians.
Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk described in a Telegram message on Monday how residents can request help with an evacuation. She hopes that especially the elderly, the sick, the disabled and women with children will move elsewhere to more habitable cities. “You can spend the winter there,” Vereshchuk said. “Transportation, accommodation and medical assistance will be provided.”
Roughly speaking, winter in Ukraine is from November 18 to March 12. On average, the maximum temperatures during the day are below 4 degrees. January is the coldest. So it generally doesn’t get hotter than -1 degree.
Kyiv mainly foresees problems in Kherson and Mykolaiv. In both cities, the energy infrastructure has collapsed and there is hardly any electricity or clean drinking water.
WHO also sees assistance to Ukrainians stalling. The massive power outage also leads to problems in hospitals. In total, there are said to have been more than 700 attacks on energy companies.
The head of the major Ukrainian energy company YASNO wants residents to be prepared “for all possible scenarios” and asks them to stock up on blankets and warm clothes. About 10 million inhabitants would already be without electricity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to reassure his people: “We have gone through many scenarios and there is absolutely no need to leave the country.”
WHO wants residents to be helped through a humanitarian corridor. This is a non-combat route through which medical devices can be delivered.
