The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has concluded that Russia committed war crimes by intentionally targeting civilian energy infrastructure. As attacks on power plants intensified again, investigators found that commanders ordering strikes knew the heating facilities were indispensable to civilians, particularly during winter.
Temperatures plunged to -21°C last winter, with older people facing especially severe hardship. Some were unable to use stairs and feared taking lifts, preventing them from reaching shelter during air raid alerts. Confined to unheated homes without electricity or water, they lacked access to essential services and life-support equipment.
Appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2022, the three-member commission drew on accounts from 255 people who endured harsh winter conditions across nine Ukrainian regions. It also consulted Ukrainian authorities, doctors and non-governmental organisations. Its members are independent, unpaid and not UN staff.
The inquiry also identified compelling evidence that Russian authorities recruited men trafficked from 29 countries, violating international human rights law. Deception and coercion, coordinated with agents abroad, were followed by pressure to sign Russian-language Defence Ministry contracts after arrival. Deployed to front-line positions and assigned dangerous tasks, many recruits were killed or went missing, while others surrendered or were captured by Ukrainian forces, becoming prisoners of war. The commission called for all trafficked recruits to be discharged.
Investigators also examined Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. However, Russian authorities neither granted access nor responded to information requests, preventing an investigation into the impact of strikes inside Russia.
