- Category
- War in Ukraine
Russia’s Strikes on Ukraine’s Energy Grid Amount to Crimes Against Humanity, UN Inquiry Finds
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko]( "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
A UN-mandated commission of inquiry has found that Russia’s systematic strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid amount to crimes against humanity, in addition to war crimes committed through deliberate attacks on civilian targets.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022, set out its findings in a report published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
The investigation assessed the impact of these strikes during the 2025–2026 winter, noting that hundreds of drones and missiles damaged Ukraine’s energy grid in increasingly frequent attacks starting in autumn 2022.
The report drew on testimony from 255 individuals across nine regions—Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, and Zhytomyr—as well as input from Ukrainian authorities, medical professionals, and non-governmental organizations.
The commission concluded that Russian commanders issuing the strike orders knew the targeted heating facilities in major population centers were essential for civilian survival, particularly during winter conditions.
Russian authorities had also publicly announced plans for upcoming strikes. Investigators established that the energy grid was targeted deliberately as part of a state policy intended to cut off electricity and essential services, deliberately causing civilian suffering.
While the panel also reviewed Ukrainian strikes against energy infrastructure in Russia and occupied territories, it was unable to analyze their effects further because Russia refused access and failed to respond to requests for information.
The commission emphasized that international law prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, demanding an immediate end to such strikes.
Regarding the recruitment of foreign citizens into the Russian military, the commission gathered evidence linking Russian authorities to human trafficking operations spanning 29 countries. Recruits were obtained through deception or coercion, with operations coordinated through international agents and agencies.
Intermediaries operating under the guise of legal, government-approved companies processed visas and travel documentation. Upon arrival, foreign nationals were forced to sign military contracts written in Russian before being deployed to frontline positions for hazardous assignments, resulting in numerous casualties, disappearances, and surrenders into Ukrainian captivity as prisoners of war.
-fbb46b3eb73fdf995d1e917bbbb38a2a.jpg)
Similar cases have also been reported in other countries. The Peruvian government, for example, has confirmed that 11 of its citizens who joined Russian forces have been killed, while 114 remain missing and three have been captured by Ukrainian forces.
According to Spanish news agency EFE, Peruvian authorities said that among Peruvians recruited into the Russian military were people who are now missing or being held captive by Ukraine.
Overall, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate has identified more than 28,000 foreign nationals serving in the Russian Armed Forces under military contracts, with the number continuing to rise.
Discuss this article:
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
