Russia to answer for energy destruction and crimes against civilians - Ukraine's UN envoy
Photo: Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN Andrii Melnyk (Vitalii Nosach / RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Andrii Melnyk, said at a UN Security Council meeting that a just peace for Ukraine is impossible without holding Russia accountable for crimes committed during the war, according to Ukrinform.
On Monday, January 26, the UN Security Council held an open debate on strengthening the rule of law to ensure international peace and security, attended by the Ukrainian delegation.
Ukraine’s permanent representative to the UN stressed that, as history shows, "justice and accountability are not obstacles to peace but rather its foundation."
Melnyk recalled that the Nuremberg and other international tribunals had demonstrated that justice helps stop violence and promotes lasting peace.
The diplomat said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by numerous atrocities against civilians in the occupied territories. Mass killings, including in Bucha, forced deportations, torture, and sexual violence are part of a deliberate pattern and clearly qualify as crimes against humanity.
Melnyk also drew attention to targeted strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
According to him, Russia’s actions have left millions of civilians without electricity, heating, and water, plunging entire cities into cold and darkness. He noted that there are few examples in world history of attacks on such a scale deliberately aimed at causing civilian suffering.
Ukraine’s permanent representative stressed that all those responsible for aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity must be held accountable. "There can be no selective justice or immunity," he added.
Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy system
On the night of January 24, Russian forces launched drone and missile strikes on Kyiv, damaging residential and non-residential buildings in five districts of the capital.
More than 90 resilience centers are now operating around the clock in the city, with additional heating tents deployed in the courtyards of apartment buildings.
The Institute for the Study of War said Russia’s intensified long-range strike campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure aims to split the country’s power grid into isolated "energy islands" cut off from generation, supply, and transmission.
A state of emergency in the energy sector was introduced on January 13 due to serious power supply problems amid severe weather conditions.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said a possible easing of the curfew is being considered, stressing that the decision would not apply nationwide.
At the same time, the government classified buildings with electric heating as critical infrastructure facilities to prevent them from being disconnected from power.
