Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and the approaching winter could force additional residents to leave their homes, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency, warned on October 16.
Arthur Erken, IOM's regional director for Europe and Central Asia, told a UN briefing in Geneva that the coming winter could be among the most difficult for Ukrainians since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
He said repeated attacks on critical infrastructure were disrupting electricity, heating and water supplies. Families living in damaged homes, older people and people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable.
According to the organization, Ukrainians who returned home within the past three months show the greatest willingness to leave again.
Erken also said approximately 2.2 million internally displaced Ukrainians remain unable to return home because their housing has been destroyed, seriously damaged or its condition is unknown.
The dependence of water supply systems on electricity creates an additional threat. Extended power outages can leave residents of apartment buildings without access to water, including emergency reserves.
IOM estimates that approximately 2.1 million older people living alone in apartment buildings could be especially vulnerable.
Humanitarian organizations are also facing funding shortages. At the time of the briefing, less than 7% of the funding required for IOM's 2026 crisis response plan for Ukraine had been secured.
The organization called on international partners to increase support for housing repairs, building insulation and the operation of essential utilities.
Erken noted that Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic, which host large numbers of Ukrainian refugees, could face additional arrivals if living conditions in Ukraine deteriorate further.
IOM is warning about the risk of further population displacement. This does not mean that a new mass displacement wave has already begun.