Russia’s sustained attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure amount to war crimes, according to a United Nations inquiry, which found that Moscow deliberately targeted facilities essential to civilian survival as the country approaches another winter of war.
The findings, published on October 26 by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, intensify scrutiny of a Russian campaign that has repeatedly struck power plants, electricity substations and gas infrastructure, threatening to leave millions of people without reliable heating, electricity or water during the coldest months of the year.
Russian commanders knew that the heating facilities they targeted in densely populated areas were indispensable to civilians, particularly during winter, the commission concluded.
“The waves of attacks by Russian authorities against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure were carried out with intent and pursuant to a state policy to deprive the civilian population from essential energy supplies and cause suffering,” the report said.
The inquiry’s findings come as Russian forces have escalated strikes on the energy network ahead of the winter months, despite US President Donald Trump having called for an energy ceasefire. The attacks threaten to compound the consequences of last winter, when millions of Ukrainians endured power cuts in temperatures that fell as low as minus 21°C.
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The commission interviewed 255 people who experienced those conditions across Ukraine. On the basis of their testimony, it concluded that Russian authorities had also committed crimes against humanity through “other inhumane acts”.
One man described the terror of trying to survive freezing nights without adequate heating, fearing that sleep itself could prove fatal.
“The scariest thing was to fall asleep and not to wake up; it was like torture to be scared of dying from cold,” he told investigators.
The testimony underscores the civilian consequences of attacks that extend far beyond immediate physical destruction. Damage to energy infrastructure can leave entire communities without heating, disrupt essential services and force vulnerable residents to endure prolonged exposure to dangerous temperatures.
With winter approaching, the prospect of further strikes has raised renewed concerns over the resilience of Ukraine’s electricity and heating networks, as well as the capacity of emergency services to respond to widespread outages.
The commission also identified a separate human rights violation involving Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals for its armed forces. It found that the recruitment of individuals from 29 other countries through deception and coercion amounted to human trafficking.
Together, the findings portray a conflict in which the consequences for civilians extend beyond the battlefield — from the deliberate deprivation of essential energy supplies to the alleged exploitation of vulnerable recruits.
For Ukrainians facing another winter under bombardment, the UN report offers a stark assessment of the conduct under investigation. But the immediate challenge remains practical as well as legal: protecting critical infrastructure, keeping homes heated and ensuring that civilians are not once again left to face freezing temperatures in darkness.
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