GENEVA: The United Nations on Thursday called on Russia to stop its attacks on Ukraine´s energy sites, which have plunged entire cities into darkness in the coldest winter of the four-year war.
Moscow has stepped up strikes on Ukraine´s power and heating infrastructure, and conducted another nationwide attack on energy facilities overnight that killed two people.
“The relentless attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure across Ukraine are depriving an already long-suffering civilian population of adequate warmth, water and electricity in an unbearably bitter and dark winter,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. He said civilians had faced continual bombardment and now had to face temperatures as low as minus 20C.
“Last night, the Russian Federation again carried out a large-scale attack targeting energy infrastructure across Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of civilians woke up without electricity and heating,” said Turk.
“The targeting of civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international humanitarian law. I call upon the Russian Federation to immediately cease these attacks.”
The UN high commissioner for human rights said the consequences of such strikes impacted all areas of civilian life.
