Winter as a weapon: an appeal to Europe’s Catholic community
Halyna Yanchenko, MP, Head of the Verkhovna Rada temporary ad-hoc Commission on Protection of Investors' Rights
Russia cannot defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, so this winter it has chosen to target civilian life. Massive strikes on energy infrastructure during the coldest period of the year were planned in advance and have effectively turned the lives of millions of Ukrainians into daily survival — often without electricity, heating, or water.
The world talks a lot about the war, but does it truly understand the conditions Ukrainians are living in today? Does it realize that attacks on energy infrastructure are not about military targets, but about pressure on civilians — about cold used as a tool of coercion?
This week, I had the opportunity to address the Catholic community of Europe. I spoke at the invitation of the Luxembourg School of Religion & Society and the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation — an international Vatican foundation that brings together leading figures from the Catholic community.
Below, I am publishing the full text of my speech, because as the discussion after the conference showed, for many in Europe the real living conditions of Ukrainians this winter came as a genuine revelation.
“Dear colleagues,
Thank you very much for the invitation. It is a great honor for me to speak about Ukraine here — in a space where peace is seen not only as a political process, but as a moral issue.
I would like to give some context about life in Ukraine today. I will start with very simple things. With this winter.
Today, the temperature in my office is 5 degrees Celsius. At home, the electricity was last on at 3 a.m., and it may return only after 9 p.m. — if at all. This is how emergency power outages work now. This is the result of Russian attacks. One day before my trip here, Kyiv once again experienced a large-scale strike on civilian energy facilities — the systems that provide people with light, heat, and water.
People in Ukraine are literally freezing in their homes. What does it mean to be without electricity when it is minus 15 outside? After each Russian strike, electricity disappears — and with it heating and water. Elevators stop working. The temperature in apartments slowly drops. Buildings turn into refrigerators.
Without electricity, there is no way to cook hot food or even make tea to stay warm.
Who suffers most? Older people. Families with small children. People with disabilities. Bedridden patients.
Putin’s strategy today is simple and cynical — to freeze millions of Ukrainians. To break people through the cold. To force them to accept “peace” at any cost.
The world may have grown used to the war in Ukraine. But this year Russia has clearly focused its aggression on civilians. 2025 has been the hardest year for the civilian population. Throughout the entire year, there were only four nights when Russia did not attack Ukraine with drones.
According to the UN Monitoring Mission, in 2025 at least 2,514 civilians were killed and 12,142 were injured — 31% more than in 2024.
These people are not statistics. They are our parents, children, neighbors, brothers, and sisters.
They were not killed on the battlefield. They died in residential areas, in destroyed hospitals, in attacks on infrastructure that keeps people alive.
This is the deliberate destruction of the conditions necessary for human life. This is a war against civilians.
Let me move from describing the pain to what we can do together to stop this tragedy. The situation in Ukraine is already a humanitarian catastrophe that cannot be ignored morally or spiritually.
What do I ask today from leaders of the Catholic world?
First. Publicly condemn these targeted attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Such actions are incompatible with Christian values and with human dignity.
We are speaking about people who suffer, freeze, and die from cold and hunger. This level of cruelty is not a war between armies — it is the execution of civilian life.
Second. State clearly that peace cannot be achieved through coercion, fear, or pressure on civilians.
The aggressor can stop this war at any moment — but chooses not to. This is not a matter of military logic. It is a matter of values.
Third.You can help in practical ways through the rapid delivery of life-saving equipment: – powerful generators for hospitals, elderly care homes, and children’s institutions; – heaters and heating systems that help people survive the night; – solar panels, batteries, and mobile power stations that can operate independently for several days.
Organizations, foundations, and donors with vision, operational projects, or logistics will find support and gratitude in Ukraine. I am ready to initiate and organize working meetings in Brussels, Kyiv, or elsewhere — together with Ukrainian government representatives and donors — to coordinate the delivery of critical equipment.
Fourth. I would also like to take this opportunity to publicly address the Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, Ms. Gelsomina Vigliotti.
Today, energy equipment for Ukraine is not just a matter of future reconstruction. It is a matter of saving civilian lives this winter.
I would like to propose expanding existing EIB tools or creating a special fast-track program for the delivery of energy equipment to hospitals, social institutions, and heating facilities in Ukraine.
This would be a very concrete and timely contribution by Europe to the protection of human dignity.
In conclusion, I want to say that we seek peace not out of weakness. Ukrainians are not weak — we have proven that. We seek peace because human life has unconditional value. For four years, Russia has been taking Ukrainian lives without facing real accountability.
That is why today I ask not for sympathy, but for decisions — public positions, concrete programs, and swift action. Ukraine is ready to work with everyone who is ready to act.”