EU chief: Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine are war crimes
Uk.YahooOct 19, 2022
Following a fortnight of Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure — which have driven numerous areas into darkness — Ukraine's principal energy provider, Ukrenergo, began imposing rolling blackouts across the country on Thursday.
A statement from Ukrenergo's press office said: "The reason for [Thursday's] restrictions is the lack of power in the system." They also stated that they couldn't "rule out" asking for the support of Ukrainians more often as the nation faces "the onset of the cold weather."
Russia's attacks on civilian infrastructure — namely on Ukrainian supplies of electricity, water, and heating — as winter approaches constitute war crimes. They must be met with a strong response from the international community.
Russia's response to Ukraine's actions has so far been restrained, but Moscow has repeatedly warned that its patience is not infinite. In the wake of ongoing terror attacks — including the strike on the Crimean Bridge — Russia's tough response has been long coming.
There's a 45% chance that Vladimir Putin will be charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.