Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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January 20, 2026 Human rights
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed his outrage at the Russian Federation's ongoing large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. He noted that the latest strikes, launched last night, resulted in heating and power outages in major cities, including Kyiv and Odesa.
“This is happening at a time when the residents of Ukraine suffer from extreme cold“,” the High Commissioner noted.
Consequences of large-scale attacks
"The civilian population is bearing the brunt of the blow. Brutal—that's the only way to describe these attacks. They must stop. Targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is a clear violation of the rules of war," he added.
As a result of overnight attacks using long-range weapons, emergency power and heat outages were reported in several regions. In Kyiv, according to the city's mayor, 5,635 multi-story residential buildings were without heat this morning, with nearly 80 percent of them only recently having their heating restored following similar attacks on January 9.
"This means that hundreds of thousands of families are once again left without heat, and in several districts, including a significant part of Kyiv, there is also no water supply," said Turk. "The most vulnerable groups—children, the elderly, and people with disabilities—are suffering the most."
Continuing strikes
According to the High Commissioner, the Russian Federation continues to carry out these large-scale attacks despite the well-known and documented information about their grave consequences for civilians.
Since October of last year, Russian armed forces have resumed systematic, large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Such incidents have been recorded in at least 20 regions of the country.
Like the 2024 strikes, these attacks severely disrupted Ukraine's entire energy system, leading to rolling blackouts in most regions of the country that lasted up to 18 hours a day in recent months.
"I call on the Russian authorities to immediately stop these attacks," Türk said. "It is horrific to see civilians suffering in this way."
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