An independent team investigated Russia’s attacks on power plants in Ukraine. It found that Russian leaders ordered attacks on places for ordinary people, not soldiers. The team called these attacks war crimes, or serious acts against the rules of war. The leaders knew people needed these places for winter heat.
Attacks on power plants have increased again. Last winter, temperatures in Ukraine fell to about 6 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Older people faced cold homes without power or water, and some could not reach safe places during air attacks. The team heard from 255 people about their difficult winter, and from officials, doctors, and other groups.
The team also found strong evidence that Russian authorities brought men from 29 countries into the army through lies and force. After arrival, the men had to sign papers in Russian. They went to the front lines and received dangerous jobs. Many died or disappeared; others gave up or Ukrainian forces caught them.
The investigators called for all these men to leave Russia’s armed forces. They also examined Ukrainian attacks on energy systems in Russia and Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine. But they could not check the effects inside Russia. Russian authorities did not let them enter or answer their requests for information.
