UN panel rules Russian strikes on Ukraine grid are war crimes

Temperatures fell to minus 21 degrees Celsius during the severe winter of 2025 and 2026, a period that served as a central focus for the United Nations commission investigating Russian military conduct in Ukraine.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine released a report to the UN General Assembly on Monday, stating that Russia’s persistent attacks on energy infrastructure constitute war crimes. The panel concluded that Moscow weaponized the cold season by targeting heating plants, power lines, and gas facilities that were indispensable to the civilian population.

The commission has tracked the cumulative impact of these strikes since the autumn of 2022. The report notes that the frequency and intensity of attacks using hundreds of drones and missiles have increased over the years. This escalation has caused extensive damage to Ukraine's energy sector and left millions of residents facing prolonged outages of heat, electricity, water, and gas.

Erik Mose, the chair of the commission, stated that attacks have intensified again as the current cold season approaches. He said these actions raise serious concerns about threats to civilian lives and health. The report found that Russian commanders ordered strikes while knowing the targeted facilities were essential for survival during low temperatures.

Russian authorities made official declarations regarding further attacks and referred to plans to carry them out, according to the document. Based on this evidence, the commission determined that Moscow committed war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects.

The conflict has continued daily as winter nears, with little indication of an immediate ceasefire. On Monday, a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia injured four people overnight, regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defence accused Ukraine of striking the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine ahead of a planned local truce this week.

The report also accused Moscow of human trafficking related to the recruitment of foreign fighters into the Russian armed forces in violation of international human rights law. The majority of those recruited have been killed, went missing, or were injured or captured, the document states. Numerous reports during the nearly five-year war have detailed men from India being duped into fighting on front lines.