UN Commission Declares Russian Attacks on Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure as War Crimes

A United Nations commission has stated that Russia's continuous assaults on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which weaponize the winter cold, constitute war crimes. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine presented a report to the UN General Assembly on Monday detailing years of Russian attacks on heating plants, power lines, gas facilities, and other infrastructure since the autumn of 2022. This report emerges as Russia intensifies its strikes on such civilian targets, a tactic employed annually since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, seemingly aimed at undermining Ukraine's will and capacity to defend itself.

The commission has investigated the cumulative impact of large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on civilians since 2022. The report highlighted that the "frequency, intensity and geographic range of systematic waves of attacks with hundreds of drones and missiles at a time have increased over the years and inflicted significant damage to Ukraine’s energy sector."

A particular focus was placed on Russian attacks during the harsh winter of 2025–2026, when temperatures plummeted to minus 21 degrees Celsius (-5.8 degrees Fahrenheit). This resulted in millions of Ukrainians experiencing prolonged outages of heating, electricity, water, and gas, forcing them into "intolerable living conditions." The commission determined that Russian commanders responsible for these attacks were aware that the targeted heating facilities were essential for the civilian population.

The report concluded, "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, expressed grave concerns about threats to civilians' lives and health as the cold season intensifies, noting that attacks have escalated once more.

As winter approaches, Russia and Ukraine continue their daily exchanges of attacks with no immediate prospect of a ceasefire. On Monday, a Russian strike in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia injured four people, according to regional governor Mykhailo Semikin. Meanwhile, Moscow's Ministry of Defence accused Ukraine of striking the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine ahead of a planned local ceasefire.

The UN commission, established by the Human Rights Council, also accused Moscow of human trafficking related to the recruitment of foreign fighters into the Russian armed forces, deeming it a violation of international human rights law. The report indicated that "the majority of those recruited have been killed, went missing, while others have also been injured or captured," citing numerous reports of men from India being deceived into fighting on the front lines during the nearly five-year conflict.