An independent United Nations investigative commission has accused Russia of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, including critical energy facilities, in Ukraine.
In a report released on Monday, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure were intentional and formed part of a state policy aimed at depriving civilians of essential energy supplies and causing suffering.
The report, which will be submitted to the UN General Assembly, stated that Russian military commanders knew the facilities they targeted were crucial to civilians, particularly during winter.
It added that Russia had repeatedly attacked Ukrainian power infrastructure since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022, with the assaults intensifying ahead of the winter season last year.
According to Ukrainian authorities, large-scale Russian drone and missile strikes last winter reduced thermal power generation capacity by 70 per cent in the worst-affected areas.
The attacks coincided with an exceptionally cold winter, when temperatures fell to as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius on several occasions, leaving millions of people struggling without adequate heating and electricity.
The commission said the consequences of prolonged exposure to cold were severe, with medical authorities documenting deaths linked to low temperatures inside homes and hospitals. Healthcare workers also reported treating patients for frostbite and hypothermia after they were exposed to unheated buildings.
A woman living in Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s largest cities, described the hardship caused by the attacks, saying, “Cold—it paralyzes you; there’s simply no way to get warm, and terrifying thoughts come into your mind.”
The report identified Russian President Vladimir Putin and several senior military officials as bearing responsibility for the alleged crimes.
It cited statements by Putin concerning instructions to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and accused former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, his successor Andrey Belousov and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of planning and overseeing the attacks.
The Kremlin had been approached for comment.
The commission also referred to a statement by Russia’s Defence Ministry in August announcing attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which included the warning: “In winter you will freeze.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has continued to appeal to Western allies for additional air defence missiles as Kyiv struggles to protect the country against repeated attacks.
Beyond the attacks on civilian infrastructure, the report examined Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals into its armed forces.
It concluded that the recruitment methods involved human rights violations and human trafficking, with evidence indicating that individuals from 29 countries were recruited through deception or coercion.
The commission said Russian authorities and their agents used misleading job offers and other tactics to persuade foreign nationals to join the military. Recruits were allegedly deprived of promised payments, had their passports and phones confiscated, and were cut off from contact with their families after being deployed to the front lines.
The report concluded that these practices violated the recruits’ fundamental rights, including their rights to life, freedom, health and humane treatment.
However, the commission drew a distinction between the recruitment practices it documented in Russia and those involving foreign nationals who joined Ukraine’s armed forces.
According to testimonies collected by investigators, those who enlisted in the Ukrainian military did so knowingly and voluntarily, understood the terms of their contracts and received salaries.
