Russian strikes put millions of Ukrainians at risk of displacement this winter, UN warns

Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian homes and power supplies could force millions of people from their homes this winter, the United Nations migration agency has warned, as many who returned after fleeing the war struggle to keep warm and safe.

In a report released on Friday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said about 1.56 million Ukrainians who had moved back home by June 2026 now live in frontline districts. In those areas, three in four people need materials to repair damaged walls, and nearly two in four need insulation and roofing.

“For millions of Ukrainians, the challenge is no longer simply whether they can return home,” said Arthur Erken, the IOM’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia. He said the conditions were making it hard for people to stay in their homes safely.

Cold homes

The report found that only 32% of Ukrainians could heat their homes adequately during the last heating season. In frontline regions the figure was 1%. Six in 10 households have cut down on heating.

In all, about 4.1 million people have returned to Ukraine, a figure that does not include those displaced inside the country.

A grid under attack

The warning comes as Russia steps up its strikes on Ukraine’s energy system ahead of winter. In an attack on 13 and 14 October, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said, all three of Kyiv’s combined heat and power stations were hit, along with infrastructure in the Kyiv region that supplies electricity to the capital and central Ukraine. Kyiv police said at least three women were killed in a strike on a residential building.

Overnight into Saturday, Russian drones and missiles were again striking energy facilities in western and central Ukraine.