# UN commission concludes Russia's strikes on Ukraine's energy sector are crimes against humanity

- URL: https://syn.by/en/politics/international-relations/un-commission-concludes-russias-strikes/
- Published: 2026-10-27T17:30:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T05:05:04+00:00
- Section: International Relations
- Language: en
- RU edition: https://syn.by/ru/politika/mezhdunarodnye-otnosheniya/komissiya-oon-prishla-k-vyvodu.md
- BE edition: https://syn.by/palityka/mizhnarodnyya-adnosiny/kamisija-aan-pryjshla-da-vysnovy.md

> According to CNN, which obtained the commission's report, the attacks were deliberate and in line with Russian state policy. The report names Shoigu, Belousov and Gerasimov as responsible and cites statements by Putin.

![Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov — UN commission concludes Russia's strikes on Ukraine's energy sector are crimes against humanity](https://syn.by/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/vladimir-putin-sergei-shoigu-valery-gerasimov-5506-1024x585.webp)

The UN's independent international commission investigating violations in Ukraine has found that Russia deliberately attacked Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, above all its energy facilities. The commission classifies this as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The report, which CNN has obtained and which has yet to be presented to the UN General Assembly, says the attacks were consistent with Russian state policy. According to the commission's findings, the aim was to deprive the civilian population of essential energy resources and cause it suffering.

The report says the Russian commanders who ordered the attacks knew that the heating facilities they chose as targets are vital to civilians, especially in winter.

The commission also notes that Vladimir Putin made statements containing instructions regarding attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The report names former defence minister Sergei Shoigu, his successor Andrei Belousov and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as responsible for planning and organising the strikes.

The report describes in detail the consequences of prolonged cold. According to the commission, Ukrainian medical authorities recorded deaths caused by low temperatures in homes and even in hospitals. Medics reported that last winter hospitals received patients with frostbite of varying severity and hypothermia, contracted at home because there was no heating.

A resident of Dnipro said: "The cold paralyses you. There is simply no way to get warm, and terrible thoughts creep into your head."

CNN notes that ahead of the cold season Russia made clear it intends to continue the attacks. The report cites a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence, made public in August, that referred to strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and contained a threat: "You will freeze in winter."

In the second part of the report, the commission points to evidence that Russia recruited foreigners from 29 countries into its army by deception or coercion. According to the commission's findings, their basic rights were violated, which bears the hallmarks of human trafficking.

The commission asserts that the evidence collected in recent years points to the responsibility of Shoigu, Belousov and Gerasimov for planning and organising the strikes.

For Belarus, where inflation in 2025 was 12.7% according to the World Bank, and where the IMF forecasts 8.9% for 2026, developments in Ukraine's power system remain part of the regional situation, but the report draws no direct conclusions about Belarusian energy.

The International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants: in March 2023 for Putin over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children, and in June 2025 for Shoigu and Gerasimov over strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. When the commission will present the report to the UN General Assembly is not yet known.