A UN-mandated inquiry said on October 26, 2026, that Russia’s long campaign of Ukraine energy attacks amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine set out its findings in a report to the UN General Assembly. Russia rejected the report and says it does not recognize the commission’s mandate.
Key facts (as of October 2026)
- The commission based its energy findings on 255 accounts from people in nine Ukrainian regions, according to the UN.
- Temperatures last winter fell as low as minus 21°C while millions lost heat, power, water or gas, the commission said.
- The same report found that men from 29 countries were trafficked into Russia’s armed forces, the UN said.
What did the UN inquiry say about Ukraine energy attacks?
The commission concluded that Russian authorities intentionally directed attacks at civilian objects, which is a war crime. It went further and found the crime against humanity of “other inhumane acts,” because the strikes were part of a state policy to cut civilians off from electricity and basic services.
According to the UN statement, Russian commanders knew that the heating plants they hit were essential to people in large cities, above all in winter. The commission also pointed to official Russian declarations about carrying out further strikes.
The report looked back at the full campaign since autumn 2022. However, it focused on the hard winter of 2025–2026, when mass barrages, often involving several hundred drones and missiles in one wave, became more frequent, the UN said.
Who carried out the investigation?
The commission is an independent panel set up by the UN Human Rights Council shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Its members are Erik Møse, a former Norwegian judge who chairs it, along with Pablo de Greiff and Vrinda Grover.
Investigators spoke with residents of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and four other regions, the UN said. They also drew on Ukrainian officials, doctors and civil society groups. The Associated Press reported that Møse presented the findings by video at a UN news conference, and that this is the commission’s first report centered on the energy grid.
Why do the Ukraine energy attacks matter beyond Ukraine?
Winter is starting again, and the commission warned that strikes are already picking up. “As the cold season approaches, the attacks have intensified once again,” Møse said in the UN statement.
For European and American readers, the findings land in the middle of diplomacy over the war. The Kyiv Independent noted that Russian strikes on power plants, substations and gas sites continued in the run-up to winter despite President Trump’s call for an energy ceasefire. Meanwhile, a small, local truce has taken hold in occupied Oleshky; see our earlier explainer on the Oleshky ceasefire.
The human cost was spelled out in plain terms. Older people and those with limited mobility often could not reach shelters when elevators failed, Interfax-Ukraine reported, and some were stuck in cold homes without water.
How has Russia responded to the Ukraine energy attacks report?
Russia’s mission to the UN said Moscow does not accept the commission’s mandate and described its findings as based on “falsified data,” AP reported. Russia has long said that it strikes only military or military-linked targets. Møse said Russia has not answered the commission’s requests for comment on any of its reports.
The commission also examined Ukrainian strikes on energy sites inside Russia and in occupied areas. Yet it could not study their effects in depth, because Russia denied access and did not reply to requests for information, the UN said. None of the reports we reviewed included a formal reaction from Kyiv.
What else did the report find?
A second section dealt with foreign recruits. The commission said it found compelling evidence that Russian authorities trafficked men from 29 countries into the military. Recruiters abroad posed as legitimate, government-backed firms, the UN said, and handled visas and travel.
Once in Russia, the men signed defense ministry contracts written in Russian and were sent to the front, according to AP. Many were later killed or went missing, the commission said, while others were captured by Ukraine. It called for all trafficked people to be released from Russian service.
What happens next?
The report went to the General Assembly’s human rights committee on October 26, AP reported. The commission has urged an end to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. It is an investigative body and does not run trials, so any follow-up depends on UN member states and courts.
How to follow live coverage
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Frequently asked questions
What did the UN find about the Ukraine energy attacks?
It found that Russia’s repeated strikes on Ukraine’s power and heating systems were war crimes and also crimes against humanity, carried out under a state policy to deprive civilians of essential services.
How did Russia respond to the report?
Russia’s UN mission said it does not recognize the commission and called the findings based on falsified data, AP reported. Moscow says it targets only military objects.
Is the Commission of Inquiry a court?
No. It is an independent investigative panel created by the UN Human Rights Council. It gathers evidence and reports to UN bodies, but it does not prosecute anyone.
