UN predicts Ukraine will not have electricity for up to 18 hours a day in winter
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Russian airstrikes on Ukraine's energy system violate international humanitarian law, as Ukrainians brace for a harsh winter following Russia's invasion, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).
According to HRMMU experts, Ukrainians should expect power outages lasting from four to 18 hours per day this winter.
"There are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple aspects of the military campaign to damage or destroy Ukraine’s civilian electricity and heat-producing and transmission infrastructure have violated foundational principles of international humanitarian law," the report says.
The HRMMU said it visited seven power plants damaged or destroyed in the attacks, as well as 28 settlements affected by strikes.
The mission stated that the attacks pose a threat to Ukraine's water supply, sewage and sanitation systems, heating, hot water, public health, education, and the economy as a whole.
The report highlights a particular issue in urban areas, where most buildings are connected to centralized heating and hot water systems. It notes that nearly 95% of Kyiv's residents rely on centralized basement heating systems, with electric pumps required to supply heat to upper floors.
The report warns that without emergency power, millions of urban residents could be left without heat.
The report also noted that energy-related issues were the second most common reason Ukrainians left the country in the summer of 2024.
Attacks on energy sector
During its invasion, Russia launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Ukrainian energy production, transmission, and distribution facilities. The first major wave of strikes occurred in the fall and winter of 2022, months after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The strikes continued throughout the war, though since March, Moscow has noticeably intensified its campaign.
Each wave of strikes left Ukrainian cities without power for several hours at a time, over several weeks.
The mission focused its report on nine waves of strikes between March and August 2024.
Kyiv asserts that the attack on its energy system constitutes a war crime, and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for four Russian officials and military personnel for bombing civilian energy infrastructure.
