UNITED NATIONS — A UN-backed inquiry concluded that Russia committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine by intentionally attacking the country’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions without electricity and heat in freezing conditions.
The independent commission, created by the Human Rights Council soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, delivered its findings to the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee. This is the panel’s first report dedicated to the impact of Russia’s widespread strikes on Ukraine’s power grid.
According to the commission, power cuts plunged civilians into winter darkness, left elderly residents without elevators to reach shelters during missile and drone attacks, and deprived hospital patients of life-sustaining equipment. The panel determined that strikes on Ukraine’s energy network were intentionally directed at civilian objects, qualifying as war crimes, and also amounted to crimes against humanity for causing great suffering to civilians.
Commission chair Erik Mose, a former Norwegian judge, said the escalation of attacks as winter approaches raises serious concerns about risks to civilian life. He said the conclusions were based on testimony from 255 Ukrainians who endured winter conditions in Kyiv and eight other regions in 2025-26, along with interviews with officials, medical personnel, and civil society groups.
Mose said Russian authorities have not responded to requests for comment on any of the commission’s reports, including this one. Russia’s U.N. Mission said Monday it does not recognize the commission’s mandate and claimed the findings rely on falsified data. Throughout the war, Russian officials have maintained their forces target only military or dual-use sites, despite extensive reporting to the contrary.
The report also found evidence that Russia recruited men from 29 countries into its armed forces through deception or coercion, in violation of international law. The recruits were 18 to 60 years old and largely from vulnerable and marginalized communities with limited economic means and education.
While Russian authorities have openly sought foreign enlistees, offering benefits such as expedited citizenship or making military service a condition for certain residency applications, the commission said many men were misled. Agents operating in other countries, presenting themselves as legitimate and government-endorsed businesses, arranged visas and sometimes traveled with the recruits. Shortly after arrival, the men were pressured to sign documents in Russian with the Defense Ministry that they could not understand. Many “were shocked to discover” they would be serving in the Russian armed forces, the commission reported.
The commission said it investigated recruitment in 48 countries and found evidence of coerced or deceptive enlistment in 29: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Botswana, Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
Mose warned that the intensifying campaign against energy facilities ahead of winter could deepen the humanitarian toll, underscoring the commission’s call for accountability and protection of civilians under international law.
UN-backed inquiry details on energy grid attacks
The report stresses that the systematic targeting of critical power infrastructure caused widespread civilian harm that cannot be justified by military necessity. Investigators cited consistent patterns across regions, corroborated by witness accounts and institutional sources.
For Hawaiʻi readers with family ties to Ukraine and the Pacific diaspora, the commission’s findings highlight the far-reaching human impact of infrastructure warfare and the importance of upholding international humanitarian norms. Readers following other global security and accountability issues, such as the Pentagon prediction markets ban, may see parallels in the scrutiny of how states wield power in conflict and national defense.
The United Nations continues to press for compliance with international humanitarian law, even as some member states reject investigative mandates. The commission’s latest findings are expected to inform ongoing debates at the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.
Human rights advocates say the inquiry adds to a growing body of documentation that could support future prosecutions for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Organizations such as the International Criminal Court are among the institutions closely monitoring developments and collecting evidence related to the conflict in Ukraine.
