UN Panel Accuses Russia of Crimes Against Humanity Over Attacks on Ukraine's Power Grid.

A United Nations investigative commission has concluded that Russia is deliberately targeting Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure as part of a systematic campaign that amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, established by the UN Human Rights Council shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, published a report Monday stating that attacks on power plants, heating facilities and water systems "were carried out with intent" and align with Russia's "state policy to deprive the civilian population from essential energy supplies and cause suffering."

The commission's findings, submitted to the UN General Assembly, paint a grim picture of life for ordinary Ukrainians. Russian forces have targeted energy infrastructure since the war's early months, but dramatically escalated attacks at the start of last winter, leaving millions without heat and electricity in freezing conditions. Temperatures in some regions plunged to -30 degrees Celsius (-22 F) multiple times.

"Russian commanders who were ordering these attacks knew that the heating facilities they targeted were indispensable to the civilian population, in particular during the winter," the report stated.

The human cost has been severe. Ukrainian medical authorities documented deaths from hypothermia in homes and even hospitals. Medical personnel reported treating patients for frostbite and cold-related trauma contracted in unheated residences.

"Cold—it paralyzes you; there's simply no way to get warm, and terrifying thoughts come into your mind," one woman from Dnipro told investigators.

The report names several senior Russian officials as bearing responsibility, including President Vladimir Putin, former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, his successor Andrey Belousov, and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants for Putin, Shoigu and Gerasimov.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the findings, saying the report "confirms what Ukrainians have experienced for years." He accused Russia of "turning cold and darkness into instruments of war."

Russia's Permanent Mission to the UN rejected the commission's conclusions, dismissing it as a "politicized body" relying on "falsified" Ukrainian data. The delegation claimed the Human Rights Council "simply fails to notice any crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

The report also examined Russia's recruitment of foreign nationals, finding "compelling evidence" that authorities trafficked people from 29 countries through deception or coercion to serve in the military. Recruits from Africa, India and Latin America reportedly had passports confiscated and were sent to the frontlines after being promised jobs.

As winter approaches again, Ukraine faces a critical shortage of air defense missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky has urgently appealed to Western allies for more ammunition, warning of the dangers ahead. Russian ballistic missiles struck a university and residential areas in Kyiv on Monday night, with Zelensky noting the targets were "very crowded areas" with "not a single military facility nearby."

The Russian Defense Ministry previously declared ominously: "In winter you will freeze."