UN inquiry: Russia's strikes on Ukraine's energy are war crimes and crimes against humanity

The key finding

On 26 October the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine presented a new report to the General Assembly (document A/81/440). It concluded that the Russian authorities’ continuing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure constitute war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, as well as crimes against humanity of “other inhumane acts”.

This is the Commission’s 12th written report and its fifth to the General Assembly, its chair Erik Møse told a press conference in New York. The report focuses on two topics: strikes on the energy system and the recruitment through deception of foreign nationals into the Russian armed forces.

What was investigated

The Commission examined the impact on civilians of large-scale attacks on the energy system, particularly during the severe winter of 2025–2026, and their cumulative effect since autumn 2022. The frequency, intensity and geographic range of the waves of attacks, with hundreds of drones and missiles launched at once, have increased over the years.

Last winter, when temperatures fell to minus 21°C, millions of people endured long outages of heating, electricity, water and gas. Older people and those with reduced mobility could not go down to shelters during alerts for fear of getting stuck in lifts, and people relying on powered medical devices were put at risk. School closures disrupted children’s education, and cold homes made children ill.

The findings are based on the accounts of 255 people who lived through the winter in these conditions in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia and Zhytomyr regions, as well as on information from Ukrainian authorities, doctors and NGOs.

Why these are crimes against humanity

According to the Commission, the Russian commanders ordering the attacks knew that the heating facilities they targeted in large cities were indispensable to civilians, particularly in winter. Russian authorities made official declarations about further attacks and referred to a plan to carry them out. The evidence shows the attacks were carried out with intent and pursuant to a state policy to deprive civilians of electricity and other essential services and to cause suffering.

“As the cold season approaches, the attacks have intensified once again, raising serious concerns about the threats to civilians’ lives and health,” Møse said.

The Commission also looked at Ukrainian strikes on energy facilities in Russia and in occupied areas, but could not investigate them further because Russia did not allow access or respond to its requests.

Recruitment of foreigners

The second finding concerns trafficking in persons. The Commission found compelling evidence that Russian authorities recruited men from 29 countries into the army through deception and coercion. Agents posing as legitimate companies arranged visas and travel; on arrival the men were forced to sign contracts, written in Russian, with Russia’s Ministry of Defence. AP reports they were mostly men aged 18 to 60 from vulnerable, poor communities. Many were killed or went missing; others surrendered or were captured.

Why it matters now

The report comes at the start of a new heating season. According to Ukrinform, since 19 October alone Russian forces have carried out about 60 targeted strikes on energy and oil and gas infrastructure in several regions. The UN findings may support future international prosecutions and strengthen the case of partners deciding on air defence and energy assistance for Ukraine.