Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said massive missile and drone attacks on the power network this week have heightened serious concerns about the plight of civilians facing a winter of hardship and misery. Russia launched missile and long-range drone strikes on Thursday, which reportedly caused damage in at least 13 regions, in addition to the capital city,
Read MoreTheir warning comes amid growing international concern about the vulnerability of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities which rely on a stable power grid to maintain critical safety systems. “The latest large-scale Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s electricity system has led to further significant damage to electric substations that are essential to the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power
Read MoreThe large-scale strikes occurred overnight and reportedly caused severe damage, power outages and civilian casualties. “Attacks on energy infrastructure will only increase the suffering of civilians with the looming winter weather,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a note to journalists. “Directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international humanitarian law. Any
Read MoreThe alert from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine follows significant destruction to power plants and the worsening energy crisis that has affected access to electricity, clean water and heating, while also pushing up prices for consumers. The strikes on the national grid included one coordinated attack on 26 August which the Mission
Read More“The targeting of energy infrastructure providing essential public services is a black-and-white issue – it is simply unacceptable,” UN High Representative of Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu told the Security Council on Friday morning. “The scale and scope of this devastation are appalling.” Multiple types of missiles and drones were launched throughout the early morning hours,
Read MoreAccording to the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, set up one year ago at the request of the Human Rights Council, Russian troops committed a “wide range” of violations across the country, many of which are war crimes. These included attacks with explosive weapons in populated areas, wilful killings of civilians, unlawful confinement, torture, rape
Read MoreA team of UN atomic energy experts set out on Monday for Zaporizhzya nuclear power station in Ukraine, after months of rising tensions between Ukrainian and Russian forces, who have accused each other of shelling the plant. In a tweet, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA said that he was proud
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