A former Ukrainian prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, joined a chorus of Kyiv officials urging international bodies to treat Russia’s repeated strikes on energy infrastructure as war crimes. The calls coincide with documented waves of missile and drone attacks since late 2022 that intensified in spring 2024, forcing nationwide rolling blackouts and record electricity imports from Europe. Investigators at the United Nations and the International Criminal Court are already examining whether the pattern of attacks violates international humanitarian law.

Renewed claims amid a damaging campaign against energy facilities

A former Ukrainian prime minister has called on the international community to classify Russia’s bombing of power plants and grid nodes as war crimes, echoing earlier statements from Kyiv’s prosecutors and Western governments since Moscow began its large scale strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in late 2022. The campaign intensified again in March and April 2024, when Russia launched some of the largest barrages of the war, hitting facilities across multiple regions. Ukraine’s grid operator Ukrenergo and major energy companies reported severe damage to both thermal and hydroelectric generation, including the destruction of the Trypilska thermal power plant near Kyiv in April and heavy damage to the Dnipro hydroelectric complex in March. Russia’s Defense Ministry has maintained that its targets are military infrastructure and energy assets that support Ukraine’s defense effort, denying deliberate strikes on civilian objects.

What international law says and where cases stand

Under international humanitarian law, civilian infrastructure such as power plants and transmission lines is protected unless it is used for military purposes. Even in those cases, the principles of proportionality and precaution apply to avoid unnecessary harm to civilians. The United Nations mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has reported that repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid likely constitute war crimes and could qualify as crimes against humanity if proven to be part of a widespread or systematic campaign against civilians. The International Criminal Court continues to investigate alleged crimes committed during the conflict, and its prosecutor has confirmed that attacks on energy facilities are being examined to determine legality and intent. As of late 2024, the ICC’s publicly known arrest warrants concerning Ukraine address other alleged offenses, and no charges have yet been issued specifically over the destruction of energy infrastructure.

How strikes on the grid affect daily life and the economy

The impact on Ukraine’s population and economy has been immediate and severe. Following the spring 2024 wave of strikes, authorities introduced nationwide scheduled blackouts and increased electricity imports from the European grid to stabilize supply. Power outages disrupted hospital operations, water pumping, public transportation, and manufacturing, forcing many facilities to rely on generators. Ukrainian officials and the World Bank have estimated that cumulative damage to the energy sector amounts to several billions of dollars, with recovery slowed by repeated attacks and the difficulty of sourcing large transformers and high voltage components from abroad. For ordinary families, these disruptions translate into dark and unheated evenings, higher operating costs for small businesses, and mounting strain on local governments trying to maintain essential services.

International response and the road to winter

Western governments have condemned Russia’s strikes and accelerated deliveries of air defense systems such as Patriot and NASAMS batteries. The European Union, the United States, and international development banks have provided financing for emergency energy equipment and repair efforts. European grid operators expanded Ukraine’s electricity import capacity, but officials acknowledge that imports cannot fully compensate for lost domestic generation. Kyiv is now working to harden the energy system by decentralizing production, installing mobile gas turbines, developing small scale renewable sources, and reinforcing backup power for hospitals and other critical infrastructure. Ukrainian leaders continue to press allies for additional air defense interceptors before winter and to build diplomatic support for classifying the attacks as war crimes. Investigators are gathering technical evidence, mapping strike patterns, and analyzing civilian impact to determine whether the sustained assault on Ukraine’s energy grid meets the legal threshold for prosecution under international law.