UN Panel Finds Russia Committed Crimes Against Humanity in Ukraine

Russian authorities committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure, particularly energy facilities, during the war in Ukraine, according to a report released by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine on October 26, 2026. Investigators also documented the alleged trafficking of men from 29 countries for recruitment into Russia's armed forces.

The commission found that Russian forces intentionally targeted essential civilian infrastructure, including heating and electricity systems, leaving residents without power, water, medical assistance, and adequate warmth during winter. The findings will be submitted to the UN General Assembly, according to the commission's report and the United Nations.

The investigators concluded that the attacks on energy infrastructure were carried out with intent and formed part of Russia's state policy to deprive the civilian population from essential energy supplies and cause suffering. The report said Russian commanders knew that the targeted heating facilities were indispensable to civilians, particularly during winter.

The commission wrote that Russian authorities have made official declarations concerning further attacks and referred to a plan to carry them out. The independent investigators concluded that they committed war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects.

Investigators based their findings on testimony from 255 people who experienced winter conditions in Dnipro, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, and Zhytomyr oblasts. They also reviewed information from Ukrainian authorities, medical professionals, and nongovernmental organizations.

Medical personnel documented patients suffering from frostbite and hypothermia after living in unheated homes. The report also described deaths associated with low temperatures in residential buildings and hospitals, highlighting the risks faced by older people and residents with limited mobility.

A 53-year-old man described his fear of dying during the freezing conditions: The scariest thing was to fall asleep and not to wake up; it was like torture to be scared of dying from cold.

A 74-year-old woman from Kyiv also described the conditions she endured: I lay cold and hungry, without medicine, without anything. The report said some older residents could not use stairs and were afraid to use elevators, making it difficult to reach safety during air raid alerts.

A civilian woman in Dnipro described the psychological effects of prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures: Cold—it paralyzes you; there's simply no way to get warm, and terrifying thoughts come into your mind.

The report also identified Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, current Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov among the officials investigators considered most responsible for planning, directing, or overseeing attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The commission said Putin made statements concerning instructions to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure. It also cited evidence concerning the responsibilities of Shoigu, Belousov, and Gerasimov. The International Criminal Court has previously issued arrest warrants against Putin, Shoigu, and Gerasimov for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the findings, saying the report confirms what Ukrainians have experienced for years: Russia's systematic attacks on civilian energy infrastructure constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sybiha also said Russia has deliberately deprived millions of people of electricity, heating and water, turning cold and darkness into instruments of war.

Russia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations rejected the investigation's conclusions, arguing that the commission lacked legitimacy and relied on unreliable information. The delegation said, Russia does not recognize the mandate of this commission, which was established through a resolution passed by a politicized body – the UN Human Rights Council.

The Russian delegation further claimed that The commission bases its findings on falsified data provided by the Ukrainian authorities via the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) presence in Kyiv. It also accused the UN Human Rights Council of overlooking alleged crimes by Ukrainian forces, saying it simply fails to notice any crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The commission also examined Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. However, investigators said they could not assess the impact of strikes inside Russia because Russian authorities denied access and did not respond to requests for information.

A separate section of the report presented evidence that Russian authorities recruited men trafficked from 29 countries into the armed forces. Investigators described recruitment involving deception and coercion, allegedly coordinated by agents operating across multiple countries.

According to the report, many recruits were forced to sign Russian-language contracts shortly after arriving in Russia and were subsequently sent to dangerous frontline assignments. Some were killed or went missing, while others surrendered or were captured by Ukrainian forces and became prisoners of war.

The report included testimony from a 35-year-old woman whose husband had been recruited from the Caribbean. She said, They took his passport and just told him to sign here, here and here on the contract. It was only in Russian. He was totally pressured and had no choice. The commission called for trafficked individuals to be discharged from the Russian armed forces.

The three-person commission, comprising Erik Møse, Pablo de Greiff, and Vrinda Grover, was established by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion. Its mandate covers alleged human rights violations, breaches of international humanitarian law, and related crimes connected to Russia's aggression against Ukraine.