Russian-Controlled Ukraine Faces Dire Humanitarian Crisis Over Water, Heating and Housing Shortages

Nearly four years after Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Moscow controls approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory. An estimated 3 million to 5 million civilians remain in these Russian-administered areas, where daily life is marked by severe shortages of basic services. Residents grapple with unreliable access to water, heating, electricity, adequate housing, and healthcare amid ongoing war damage and neglect of infrastructure. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly acknowledged the "many truly pressing, urgent problems" plaguing the illegally annexed regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

Years of conflict have left municipal systems in disrepair across occupied cities and villages. In Alchevsk, Luhansk region, more than half of homes lack central heating during the bitterly cold winter, prompting authorities to establish five warming stations for residents. Utility reports indicate over 60% of municipal heating networks are in poor condition, with limited funds available for repairs. In parts of Donetsk region, water is delivered by trucks that fill barrels outside apartment blocks, but these often freeze solid in sub-zero temperatures, complicating access to safe drinking water and daily necessities.

Housing remains a critical issue, particularly in devastated cities like Mariupol, where the population has halved since before the war. New apartment blocks have been constructed amid reconstruction efforts, yet many are allocated or sold to newcomers from Russia rather than to locals who lost their homes in the fighting. Authorities have designated thousands of apartments as "ownerless" for potential expropriation, exacerbating feelings of displacement among remaining residents. Shattered urban areas and rural settlements alike suffer from these overlapping crises, turning routine survival into a constant challenge.

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Former residents and activists describe the atmosphere as one of mere endurance rather than living. One escapee remarked that people in the occupied territories "aren't living, they're just surviving," highlighting not only material hardships but also pervasive fear and repression. Accounts from those who fled point to additional pressures, including forced Russification in education and culture, as well as security hunts targeting perceived disloyalty.

The combination of war-induced destruction and administrative shortcomings has created a humanitarian strain that affects even basic health and safety. Shortages of medical professionals compound the difficulties, leaving vulnerable populations—especially the elderly and families—particularly exposed during harsh winter conditions. As the conflict drags on, these infrastructure failures underscore the profound toll on civilian life in the Russian-controlled zones.

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