Russia committed war crimes by deliberately targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions of civilians without electricity and heating during freezing winter conditions, a UN-backed commission of inquiry reportedly said on Monday.
The commission also concluded that the attacks amounted to crimes against humanity, citing the immense suffering inflicted on civilians as Russian strikes disrupted essential services across Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.
Presenting the findings, commission chair Erik Mose, a former Norwegian judge, said the attacks had exposed civilians to severe hardship, with power cuts leaving elderly people unable to use elevators to reach shelters during missile and drone attacks and hospital patients deprived of electricity needed to operate critical medical equipment.
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The report warned that the intensification of attacks ahead of the approaching winter raised serious concerns about the risks faced by Ukraine’s civilian population.
The independent commission, established by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, submitted the report to the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee on Monday. It was the commission’s first report specifically examining the impact of Russia’s extensive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
{{/usCountry}}The independent commission, established by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, submitted the report to the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee on Monday. It was the commission’s first report specifically examining the impact of Russia’s extensive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
{{/usCountry}}According to the commission, its findings were based on testimonies from 255 Ukrainians who experienced winter conditions in Kyiv and eight other regions during 2025-26. The inquiry also considered information provided by government officials, doctors and civil society organisations.
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Mose said Russia had not responded to requests for comment on any of the commission’s reports, including the latest findings.
Russia’s UN Mission, however, said on Monday that Moscow did not recognise the commission’s mandate and dismissed its findings as being based on “falsified data”.
Throughout the war, Russia has maintained that its military targets only military installations and related infrastructure, including facilities used in support of Ukraine’s armed forces. However, multiple reports and evidence have documented attacks affecting civilian infrastructure.