Russian Strikes Push Over 136,000 to Flee Ukraine Grid Blackouts

(MENAFN) Intensifying Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian facilities are forcing more people from their homes and leaving millions without heating or electricity, the UN refugee agency warned Tuesday. Access to water and other essentials is also limited, it said.

Philippe Leclerc, UNHCR Regional Director for Europe, told reporters in Geneva that a growing number of missile and drone strikes is endangering civilians nationwide, including in areas far from the front lines.

Humanitarian workers are increasingly in the line of fire. Between Sept. 1 and Oct. 14, 10 security incidents affected UNHCR staff or humanitarian partners, among them strikes near aid workers, offices, warehouses and clearly marked humanitarian vehicles.

“UNHCR calls on the Russian Federation to cease attacks on civilians and reiterates that humanitarian workers and assets must be protected and not treated as targets,” Leclerc said.

The human toll is climbing fast. Since January, more than 136,000 evacuees have moved through UNHCR-supported transit centers, roughly 70% above the nearly 80,000 recorded across all of 2025, according to the agency. Nearly 40% of those fleeing are elderly, and many others live with disabilities.

An estimated 10.8 million people inside Ukraine need humanitarian aid, while nearly 5.2 million Ukrainian refugees remain across Europe.

Leclerc also cautioned that anti-refugee rhetoric and hostility toward refugees are growing in parts of Europe, and urged governments to sustain support for displaced Ukrainians and the communities hosting them.

A recent survey found that 67% of adult Ukrainian refugees in nine European countries were employed in 2025, while 84% of refugee children attended national schools.

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