UN panel: Russian strikes on Ukrainian heating and power grids are war crimes
A UN commission found Russian commanders targeted heating facilities knowing civilians depended on them, as millions faced outages during a winter that hit minus 21 degrees Celsius.
By Ricardo Brooks ·
Millions of Ukrainians spent the winter of 2025-2026 without reliable heat, electricity, water or gas after Russian strikes hit heating plants, power lines and gas facilities. Temperatures fell to minus 21 degrees Celsius. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said in a report submitted to the UN General Assembly on October 26 that such attacks amount to war crimes.
The commission reviewed Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure from the autumn of 2022 onward. It said waves of drones and missiles have grown more frequent and hit more ground each year. The report stated that attacks involving hundreds of drones and missiles at a time have damaged Ukraine's energy sector. The commission assessed that Russian commanders ordering the strikes knew the heating facilities they hit were indispensable to civilians. It concluded they committed the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects.
Erik Mose, who chairs the commission, said the cold season is returning. "The attacks have intensified once again, raising serious concerns about the threats to civilians' lives and health," he said. The commission was created by the UN Human Rights Council. Its report also accused Russia of human trafficking tied to the recruitment of foreign fighters into its armed forces, in what it called a violation of international human rights law. It said most of those recruited were killed, went missing, or were injured or captured. The report cited reports during the nearly five-year war of men from India being duped into fighting on the front lines.
The report was issued as strikes on civilian targets have increased. Russian forces have struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure every year since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Ukraine and Russia have continued daily exchanges of fire as winter approaches.
On October 26, a Russian strike on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia injured four people overnight, regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram. Russia's Ministry of Defence accused Ukraine of striking the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine before a planned local ceasefire this week.
The commission's report went to the UN General Assembly on October 26.
Source: Al Jazeera
