The inquiry says attacks left millions facing prolonged utility outages during winter 2025–2026, and warns that renewed strikes threaten civilians as another winter approaches.
A United Nations (UN) inquiry commission has concluded that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure constituted war crimes. Its report said the attacks left millions facing prolonged losses of heating, electricity, water and gas during winter 2025–2026.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine submitted its report to the UN General Assembly on October 26. The investigation examined attacks on heating plants, power lines, gas facilities and other infrastructure since autumn 2022, and their cumulative impact on civilians. Al Jazeera reported the findings that day.
The commission said systematic waves of attacks, involving hundreds of drones and missiles at a time, had grown more frequent, intense and geographically widespread over the years. Those attacks had significantly damaged Ukraine’s energy sector.
The inquiry assessed that Russian commanders who ordered the attacks knew the targeted heating facilities were indispensable to civilians. It also cited official Russian declarations about further attacks and references to a plan to carry them out. The commission concluded that Russian authorities had committed the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects—facilities that serve civilians rather than military targets. That is the commission’s legal assessment, not a court judgment.
The report focused particularly on winter 2025–2026, when temperatures fell to minus 21 degrees Celsius (minus 5.8 degrees Fahrenheit). The commission said attacks during that winter forced millions to endure lengthy utility outages and living conditions it described as intolerable.
Ukraine is awaiting US confirmation of the proposed Abu Dhabi meeting, where Zelenskyy wants ceasefires and humanitarian issues discussed.
2 min
As the next cold season approached, commission chair Erik Mose said attacks had intensified again. He warned that the renewed strikes raised serious concerns about threats to civilians’ lives and health.
Britain’s government sets out £7 billion in economic support over three years and £3 billion in export-finance capacity, prioritising military support through the latter.
2 min
The October 23 agreement envisages humanitarian deliveries and repatriation efforts across Kherson communities after the immediate Oleshky mission, with Melania Trump helping coordinate.
4 min
