Ukraine is facing the "hardest winter" since the full-scale Russian invasion of 2022. The head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Alexander De Cro, made such a statement in an interview with the BBC. According to him, the serious destruction of energy infrastructures can lead to a humanitarian disaster if the residents are left without heating, electricity and water. Former Prime Minister of Belgium, high-ranking official of the United Nations, De Cro emphasized that Russia is carrying out targeted attacks on the civil and energy facilities of Ukraine. He noted that now there is a real "race against time". it is necessary to restore the energy system before reaching a sharp drop in temperature and cold. "This winter will be the hardest since the beginning of the war," said De Cro, adding that Ukraine is entering the winter with an already severely weakened energy system, which "causes deep concern" at the United Nations. According to the head of UNDP, charging stations, commercial and business centers are also damaged by Russian strikes, but the most painful problem is the targeting of energy hubs and power transmission lines. Both sides deny the fact of deliberately hitting civilian objects. In the worst-case scenario, large-scale destruction of the energy system will deprive people of the ability to heat their homes, and water supply and sewage failures will have additional serious consequences, especially since Ukraine is cold in winter. � reaches up to -20°C. De Cro warned that the situation could reach a "humanitarian catastrophe" if critical infrastructure were to fail, leaving the population facing deprivation and suffering. UNDP is helping Ukraine to restore energy facilities damaged last winter, as well as to create more sustainable sources of decentralized energy that are difficult to knock out in one fell swoop. Nevertheless, the rehabilitation works are going on under the constant threat of new attacks. According to De Cro, specialists are forced to stop work during air raids, because the objects being repaired can be targeted again. He emphasized that completing these works before winter is "an almost impossible task". Ahead of winter, in recent months, Russia and Ukraine have intensified their airstrikes. The Russian side has started to use faster drones with jet engines, which are difficult to shoot down. Ukraine, in turn, continues to attack the gas, oil and logistics infrastructures deep in the territory of Russia with UAVs.