UN Report Reveals Sharp Escalation in Civilian Harm, Systematic Energy Attacks, and POW Executions in Ukraine

Systematic Attacks on Energy Infrastructure

Russian armed forces systematically and repeatedly targeted energy facilities across Ukraine throughout the 2025–2026 winter, using hundreds of weapons in coordinated attacks. These strikes damaged generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure already degraded from prior attacks [Report PDF, para 2]. The attacks forced Ukrainian authorities to impose scheduled rolling blackouts nationwide, leaving civilians with electricity for only a couple of hours per day at times [Report PDF, paras 3-4]. Centralized heating systems were also hit, leaving hundreds of thousands without heat or hot water for weeks as temperatures fell below -20°C in the coldest winter since 2010 [Report PDF, paras 3-4]. The outages disrupted water supply, healthcare, and schooling, and drove some people to leave their homes.

The report concluded that the scale, geographic scope, and nature of the attacks on energy infrastructure by Russia suggested they were not directed at specific military objectives but rather aimed at disrupting the country's energy network as a whole, which the report assessed as likely violating international humanitarian law (IHL) on the conduct of hostilities [Report PDF, paras 57-63]. Ukrainian armed forces also struck electricity and heating infrastructure in Russia's Belgorod region, causing regional outages [Report PDF, para 6].

Prisoner of War Executions and Torture

Russian armed forces executed at least 16 captured Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) between mid-November 2025 and January 2026 [Report PDF, para 10]. Additionally, nearly all released Ukrainian POWs interviewed by OHCHR reported having been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment during captivity, though several noted that conditions had gradually improved since late 2024. Around half of Russian POWs interviewed described torture or ill-treatment at the initial stages of their captivity by Ukraine [Report PDF, para 10].

Broader Casualty Figures and Cumulative Toll

As of February 2026, since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, OHCHR had verified over 15,000 civilian deaths and more than 41,000 injuries across Ukraine . The year 2025 was the deadliest for civilians since 2022, with HRMMU recording at least 2,514 civilians killed and 12,142 injured — a 30% increase compared to 2024 — driven by escalated frontline fighting and expanded use of long-range weapons . A fact sheet from February 2026 noted that the number of civilians killed and injured daily in Ukraine increased significantly, with 2025 casualty totals 31% higher than 2024 and 70% higher than 2023 .

Conditions in Russian-Occupied Territory

In areas under Russian occupation, authorities continued to severely restrict freedom of expression, forcibly conscript protected persons into the Russian armed forces, and deny children access to Ukrainian education [Report PDF, para 11]. These patterns were described as ongoing violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Ongoing Conflict Dynamics

The report described a consistent trend of rising civilian casualties year-on-year since 2023, with the reporting period (Dec 2025 – May 2026) being the most lethal for that timeframe since 2022, aside from the first year of the invasion [Report PDF, para 64]. The large-scale use of long-range weapons by Russia and the increase in short-range drone attacks along the frontline were identified as the two main drivers of rising harm. The drone attacks also prevented evacuations and the delivery of basic goods in front-line communities, including in occupied territory [Report PDF, paras 8-9].

The report concluded that the scale, geographic scope, and nature of the attacks on energy infrastructure by Russia suggested they were not directed at specific military objectives but rather aimed at disrupting the country's energy network as a whole, which would be incompatible with IHL [Report PDF, para 63].