Ukraine is facing one of its most severe winters since the war began, with attacks on critical infrastructure leaving hundreds of thousands of families without heating or electricity as temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Speaking to UN News, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Operations in Ukraine, Kenan Madi, warned that children continue to bear the brunt of the crisis, particularly in major urban centres such as Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, where central heating systems have been heavily damaged.

UNICEF has responded by scaling up emergency winter assistance, including cash support to vulnerable families, expanding child protection services, and helping schools and utilities maintain essential heating and water services.

UN News’s Evgeniya Kleshcheva began by asking Mr. Madi to detail the situation facing families and humanitarian workers on the ground.