Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure a war crime: UN

A UN inquiry concluded that Russian authorities committed war crimes and crimes against humanity through attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, according to Anadolu Agency. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said Russian forces intentionally targeted civilian facilities, linking the attacks to widespread suffering.

The commission said the campaign was conducted under a state policy intended to deprive civilians of essential services. The commission reported that millions of people in Ukraine faced lengthy outages affecting heating, electricity, water and gas. It highlighted conditions during the winter of 2025-2026, saying the interruptions left civilians coping with severe hardship.

The inquiry’s findings concern attacks on energy infrastructure and the effects on access to essential services. Commission chair Erik Mose warned that attacks had intensified again as the cold season approached. He said this raised serious concerns about threats to civilians’ lives and health.

The warning presents the renewed attacks as an immediate civilian-safety concern; the account does not provide a count of casualties or outage durations. The commission submitted its report to the UN General Assembly. Its findings and conclusions are those of the independent investigative body, as reported by Anadolu Agency.

The account identifies no Russian government response to the inquiry’s conclusions. The report also describes a separate finding: Russian authorities trafficked men from 29 countries into military service through deception and coercion. The account does not specify the countries, the number of men involved, or how the commission established the finding.

This trafficking allegation is distinct from the inquiry’s conclusions about attacks on energy infrastructure. The commission’s assessment places civilian infrastructure and access to essential services at the centre of its findings.

Its stated concerns include the renewed attacks as colder weather approaches, the reported outages affecting millions, and risks to civilian lives and health. The report’s submission to the General Assembly gives that body the findings, including the commission’s conclusions on war crimes and crimes against humanity.