Millions of lives under threat in Ukraine this winter - WHO

The lives of millions volition beryllium nether menace successful Ukraine this winter, the World Health Organisation says.

Half of Ukraine's vigor infrastructure is either damaged oregon destroyed, and 10 cardinal are presently without power, said Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, WHO determination manager for Europe.

Temperatures are predicted to plummet arsenic debased arsenic -20C successful immoderate areas.

The WHO has documented 703 attacks connected wellness infrastructure since Russia's penetration began.

Last week, Russia deed much vigor installations and civilian buildings successful 1 of its heaviest aerial bombardments of the war.

This has been a caller Russian maneuver pursuing setbacks connected the battlefield, and its interaction is starting to beryllium felt much acutely arsenic wintertime sets in.

"Put simply, this wintertime volition beryllium astir survival," Dr Kluge told a quality league successful the Ukrainian superior Kyiv.

Ukraine's wellness strategy is "facing its darkest days successful the warfare truthful far", and the champion solution is for the struggle to end, helium added.

Due to the attacks, hundreds of hospitals and healthcare facilities are "no longer afloat operational, lacking fuel, h2o and energy to conscionable basal needs", helium said.

Maternity wards request incubators, humor banks request refrigerators and intensive attraction beds request ventilators, helium said, adding that "all necessitate energy".

Up to 3 cardinal radical could fly their homes successful hunt of warmth and safety, the WHO says.

Dr Kluge said helium was "very concerned" for 17,000 HIV patients successful Donetsk "who whitethorn soon tally retired of captious antiretroviral drugs that assistance support them alive".

Much of Donetsk is nether Russian power and Dr Kluge said helium was "urgently calling for the instauration of a humanitarian wellness corridor into each recently regained and occupied areas".

There are besides concerns astir Covid cases rising.

"With debased basal vaccination rates - fto unsocial boosters - millions of Ukrainians person waning oregon nary immunity to Covid," Dr Kluge said.

The warnings travel arsenic snowfall has fallen crossed Ukraine and temperatures person dropped beneath freezing.

In Kyiv, snowfall covers walkways, bare playgrounds and parkland benches. Few radical are connected the streets.

Despite the snow, wintertime has not officially started and temperatures are apt to driblet overmuch further.

The Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant, which utilized to nutrient much than 25% of Ukraine's electricity, nary longer generates power.

There was renewed shelling astatine the works implicit the weekend.

The caput of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, condemned the attacks, saying it was different "close call" astatine Europe's biggest atomic powerfulness plant.

Russia and Ukraine person accused each different of carrying retired the attacks.

Elsewhere successful the war, Ukrainian prosecutors person fixed details of what they person recovered successful 4 alleged torture chambers successful Kherson aft Russian troops left the confederate city.

They accidental radical were "brutally tortured", and that batons, bullets and an electrocution instrumentality were discovered.

Last week Ukraine said it had recovered the bodies of 63 civilians bearing signs of torture adjacent Kherson. The BBC besides spoke to 2 radical who said they had been held for much than a period in "torture chambers".

Russia denies committing abuses during its invasion.