Russia committed war crimes by attacking Ukraine's energy grid, UN inquiry finds

A UN inquiry report presented on October 26, 2026, finds that Russia's deliberate attacks on Ukraine's energy grid constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity intended to inflict civilian suffering during freezing winter months. Based on 255 interviews, the commission documented widespread blackouts, hospital disruptions, and hypothermia deaths as thermal power capacity fell by 70%. The report also accuses Russian authorities of human trafficking by coercively enlisting foreign fighters from 29 nations.

UN findings on Russian energy attacks

• ▪The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine identified former Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, current Defence Minister Andrey Belousov, and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as responsible for planning and overseeing attacks on Ukraine's energy grid
• ▪The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine reported that Russia committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by intentionally attacking Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure
• ▪The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine based its 2025-2026 winter energy grid findings on interviews with 255 people across nine Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kherson, and Odesa
• ▪The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine's report submitted to the UN General Assembly concluded that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure were carried out pursuant to a state policy to deprive civilians of essential energy and cause suffering

Russian responses to war crimes allegations

• ▪Russia maintained that its military strikes in Ukraine target only military or military-related facilities, claiming energy infrastructure serves military purposes
• ▪Russia's UN Mission rejected findings from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine on October 26, 2026, stating that Russia does not recognize the commission's mandate and claiming the report relies on falsified data

Physical damage to Ukraine's energy grid

• ▪Russian attacks during the winter of 2025-2026 damaged Ukrainian power plants, heating facilities, substations, and gas infrastructure across nine regions, making repairs increasingly difficult and causing electric pump failures that disrupted water supplies
• ▪Large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure reduced thermal power generation capacities by 70 percent in the most affected areas during the winter of 2025–2026

Human impact of winter power outages

• ▪Prolonged winter power and heating outages left millions of Ukrainian civilians in unheated homes as outdoor temperatures dropped as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius
• ▪Fearing they would become trapped in elevators during sudden power cuts caused by Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, elderly residents and people with limited mobility remained inside their apartments during air-raid alerts

Health consequences of energy disruptions

• ▪Widespread electrical power cuts disrupted Ukrainian hospital operations and compromised the safe refrigeration of essential medical supplies, vaccines, and blood stocks
• ▪Ukrainian medical personnel documented civilian deaths and hospitalizations caused by extreme cold exposure in unheated homes, treating patients for hypothermia, frostbite, and respiratory illnesses