Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on Thursday condemned a statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a “disgrace,” accusing the organization of drawing a false moral equivalence between Russia and Ukraine amid Kremlin attacks on civilian energy infrastructure.
The reaction followed a public statement by the ICRC warning that strikes on electricity infrastructure have an “unacceptable” impact on civilians’ daily lives during extreme cold.
The Red Cross said millions of people lack heating, hot water and electricity, describing the current winter as the most difficult for civilians since the escalation of the war and stressing that access to electricity and heating is “essential for survival right now.”
In particular, the Red Cross report listed Ukrainian cities (Kyiv, Dnipro) as well as Russia’s Belgorod and Donetsk, a city under Russian occupation.
Sybiha said equating the aggressor with a country acting in self-defense is unacceptable, stressing that Ukraine operates in line with international humanitarian law, also known as the laws of armed conflict (LOAC) and its inherent right to defend itself.
“Unlike Russia, Ukraine is acting within the framework of international humanitarian law and our inalienable right to self-defense,” the Ukrainian minister said.
He added that the ICRC’s reputation is in crisis due to statements that, in his words, whitewash Russian war crimes and further erode trust in the organization, particularly given what he described as its longstanding failure to secure systematic access to Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians unlawfully held by Russia.
Sybiha said the head of the ICRC delegation in Ukraine would be summoned to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for explanations.
He also invited those who authored and approved the ICRC statement to leave their offices and spend a day in Ukraine “in a cold house,” saying it might restore their sense of reality.
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 electrical power and centralized heating systems.
In Ukrainian cities, about half of urban residents rely on 2nd generation, Soviet-legacy centralized district heating that is mainly produced by central boiler houses and thermal power plants (CHPs), rather than by individual heating within their own apartments.
Zelensky announced plans to combat the “severe” consequences of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, including CHPs, and worsening weather conditions in three main areas.
First, 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.
Second, 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.
Third, Zelensky said that he had instructed his government to prepare a review of Ukraine’s curfew rules during this coldest period of the year.
“People should have maximum opportunities to use support points, and businesses should have the opportunity to plan work taking into account the situation in the power system,” he said.
Elaborating more fully in a later post, Zelensky added that regional government officials will present “appropriate proposals” to relax the curfew rules in certain areas, but only as far as the security situation allows.
There are also plans to establish more Invincibility Points in Kyiv and check whether existing ones are fit for purpose, the president said, referring to a government project which has established thousands of drop-in centers where civilians can warm up and charge their devices during blackouts.