Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, UN agencies warn on 20 February 2026 that attacks on energy and health infrastructure are amplifying gendered harms in Ukraine, leaving women disproportionately exposed to violence, job loss, and insecurity (UN Women, 20 February 2026).

UN Women’s Sofia Calltorp highlighted that 65 percent of Ukraine’s energy generation capacity has been destroyed, plunging communities into darkness, curtailing mobility and access to services, and undermining women’s safety and livelihoods (UN Women, 20 February 2026).

The WHO has verified over 2,870 attacks on health facilities since February 2022, with 233 deaths among healthcare workers and patients, further eroding care for the injured and disabled (WHO, February 2026).

Funding cuts threaten women-led services that provide protection and psychosocial support; UN Women estimates a projected $53.9 million shortfall in 2026 that risks depriving 63,000 women of assistance. The accumulated impact violates basic rights to safety, health and education and signals an urgent need for sustained protection and gender-responsive humanitarian funding (UN Women and WHO briefings, 20 February 2026).

 Sources: UN Women briefing, 20 February 2026; WHO spokesperson statements, February 2026.