KIEV, Sept 19 (Askume) – Russia’s air strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid may violate international humanitarian law, a United Nations monitor said on Thursday, as Ukrainians prepare for their toughest winter since the Russian invasion.
During the invasion, Russia launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Ukrainian power generation, transmission, and distribution facilities.
The first wave of large-scale attacks occurred in the autumn and winter of 2022, just a few months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Attacks have continued throughout the war, although Moscow has significantly intensified its attacks since March.
Each wave of strikes causes blackouts in Ukrainian cities that last for hours and even weeks.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) focused on nine waves of attacks between March and August 2024 in its report.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that a number of aspects of the military operation to damage or destroy Ukraine’s civilian power, heating and transmission infrastructure violated fundamental principles of international humanitarian law,” the report said.
HRMMU said it visited seven power plants damaged or destroyed in the attacks, as well as 28 communities affected by the attacks.
Kiev says targeting its energy system is a war crime and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for four Russian officials and military officers for bombing civilian energy infrastructure.
Moscow says the power infrastructure is a legitimate military target and dismisses the allegations against its officers as irrelevant.
Risk
The HRMMU said the attacks threatened Ukraine’s water supply, sewage and sanitation, heating and hot water systems, public health, education and the broader economy.
This highlights a particular problem in urban areas, where most homes are connected to central heating and hot water systems.
Around 95% of Kiev residents rely on centralised basement heating systems, which require electric pumps to deliver output to the upper floors of the building, the report said.
“Without emergency power supplies, millions of city residents could face heating difficulties,” the report said.
Ukrainians could face power cuts ranging from 4 to 18 hours per day this winter, HRMMU quoted experts as saying.
The report also states that in the summer of 2024, energy problems will become the second most common reason for Ukrainians to flee the country.
