Ukraine’s Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Thursday it has documented evidence that Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure amount to crimes against humanity.
The agency said it has gathered proof showing the strikes are a deliberate Kremlin policy aimed at creating life-threatening conditions for civilians. Since the start of the current heating season, investigators have recorded 256 Russian air attacks on energy facilities and heating systems nationwide.
According to the SBU, from October 2025 to date Russian forces have deliberately targeted 11 hydroelectric power plants and 45 of Ukraine’s largest combined heat and power plants. Investigators also documented 49 precision strikes on thermal power plants and 151 attacks on electrical substations across multiple regions.
The heaviest attacks hit energy generation and distribution facilities in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as the Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv regions, the agency said.
Russia used a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles – including Iskander, Kalibr, Kh-101 and Kh-69 – along with Iranian-made Shahed-type drones, known in Russia as Geran, the SBU said. Each strike involved coordinated drone and missile attacks.
The assaults during periods of sharp cold led to widespread power and heating outages and disrupted water supplies for millions of civilians, according to investigators.
The SBU said it is classifying the systematic destruction of Ukraine’s energy system as crimes against humanity under Ukrainian law, noting that such offenses are considered international crimes and may be prosecuted in both domestic and foreign courts.
Investigators are working at the site of every strike to build a comprehensive evidence base, the agency said, adding that the probe is being conducted under the procedural oversight of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
In recent weeks, Russian missile attacks have created disasters verging on a humanitarian crisis by targeting energy infrastructure across Ukraine. Early Tuesday, a massive Russian drone attack on Kryvyi Rih knocked out heat to more than 700 apartment buildings as temperatures dropped to –7°C (19°F).
Late Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would move to introduce a state of emergency in the energy sector, citing the heavy impact of recent Russian attacks on power and heating systems.
Zelensky announced plans to combat the “severe” consequences of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure and worsening weather conditions in three main areas.
Firstly, he said, a special headquarters will be established in Kyiv to coordinate a full-time response to the energy crisis.
Denys Shmyhal, narrowly approved as energy minister and first deputy prime minister on Wednesday after the Verkohvna Rada rejected his first appointment a day earlier, will oversee the project. Shmyhal’s predecessor resigned after being implicated in a far-reaching energy corruption scandal which shook the foundations of Zelensky’s government late last year.
Secondly, officials will cut red tape and explore new avenues to find a long-term solution to the energy crisis.
“Government officials will maximally intensify work with partners to obtain the necessary equipment and additional support,” Zelensky said. “The Cabinet of Ministers will ensure maximum deregulation of all processes for connecting backup energy equipment to networks for the duration of such a situation.”
The government is also seeking to increase electricity imports into Ukraine, he added.