Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure a war crime: UN
A United Nations commission has concluded that Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure constitute war crimes, weaponising the cold of winter.
The report, submitted on Monday, outlines years of Russian attacks on heating plants, power lines, gas facilities, and other infrastructure since autumn 2022. It was issued as Moscow has stepped up its assault on such civilian targets, aiming to inflict suffering and drain Ukraine’s will and ability to defend its territory.
The commission investigated the impact of large-scale attacks, noting that the frequency, intensity, and geographic range of systematic waves of attacks with hundreds of drones and missiles have increased over the years, significantly damaging Ukraine’s energy sector.
The report focused on the severe winter of 2025–2026, when temperatures dropped to minus 21 degrees Celsius (-5.8 degrees Fahrenheit). This left millions of people facing lengthy outages of heating, electricity, water, and gas, forcing them to cope with intolerable living conditions.
Russian authorities have made official declarations concerning further attacks and referred to a plan to carry them out. The commission concluded that they committed war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects.
Erik Mose, chair of the commission, noted that as the cold season approaches, "the attacks have intensified once again, raising serious concerns about the threats to civilians’ lives and health".
On Monday, a Russian strike on Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia injured four people overnight, regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram. The Russian Ministry of Defence accused Ukraine of repeatedly striking the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine ahead of a planned local ceasefire this week.
The commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council, also accused Moscow of human trafficking in connection with the recruitment of foreign fighters into the Russian armed forces in violation of international human rights law.
"The majority of those recruited have been killed, went missing, while others have also been injured or captured," the report read. Numerous reports have emerged during the nearly five-year war of men from India having been duped into fighting on the front lines.
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