Ukraine Faces Another Bitter Winter as UN Inquiry Warns of Deepening Civilian Harm

Russian forces launched systematic waves of attacks on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure during the severe winter of 2025–2026, when temperatures fell to minus 20°C.

For civilians across Ukraine, the approach of winter brings fears of freezing homes, stalled lifts and days without electricity as Russian attacks continue to damage the energy systems they depend on. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has warned the Human Rights Council that these strikes are increasing civilian vulnerability, with families facing another season of hardship. Its latest update examines the forced introduction of Russian patriotic and military education for Ukrainian children in occupied areas and the deception used to recruit foreign nationals into Russia's armed forces.

Freezing homes leave vulnerable residents trapped

Russian forces launched systematic waves of attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure during the severe winter of 2025–2026, when temperatures fell to minus 20°C. Damage to power installations, transmission lines, heating facilities and gas infrastructure left millions facing prolonged electricity cuts and inadequate or absent heating. Residents interviewed by the Commission described apartments becoming so cold that their physical and psychological health suffered, with Ukrainian authorities recording cold-related deaths and injuries. People who had the means to leave relocated during the coldest months.

A 74-year-old woman living on the 18th floor of a Kyiv apartment building described how power failures stopped the lifts, leaving her unable to get out for essentials. "I lay cold and hungry, without medicine, without anything," she told investigators, describing how freezing conditions and isolation had made her home a place of confinement. Commission chair Erik Møse warned that continued attacks were making civilian life increasingly unbearable and could make the coming winter harder to survive. The Commission has followed reports of Ukrainian attacks on infrastructure in Russia and Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, including increased civilian casualties and damage to civilian property, but insufficient access and information have prevented it from investigating those incidents.

Children face compulsory patriotic lessons and military drills

Ukrainian children in occupied areas are being compelled to attend schools following Russia's curriculum, which has placed greater emphasis on patriotic education since 2022. Lessons glorifying Russia reach children as young as three, with threats and coercion directed at those who refuse to comply. For families living under occupation, decisions about schooling take place under pressure, as children are required to absorb teachings imposed by the occupying authorities.

Mandatory lessons for children aged 14 and older include practical weapons training and military drills, reinforced by state-sponsored Russian youth organisations that have expanded their presence in occupied territories. Investigators describe a profound impact on children exposed to this system, with some finding the experience unbearable enough to flee to Ukrainian government-controlled territory. Children making those journeys often travel alone, facing serious security risks and hardships in their search for an escape from the education being forced upon them.

Promised civilian jobs lead foreign recruits to the frontline

The Commission's investigation into foreign recruitment recognises that many people have knowingly and voluntarily joined both Russian and Ukrainian forces, with its current focus on foreigners deceived into serving in Russia's army. Agents and intermediaries recruited people from countries across several continents through promises of well-paid civilian employment and arranged their travel to Russia. Soon after arrival, recruits were compelled to sign Russian Defence Ministry contracts, most without understanding the language or the terms, before finding themselves on the frontline. Russian authorities coerced some foreigners already in the country, including prisoners, into fighting in Ukraine.

Many recruits died soon after deployment, disappeared, suffered injuries or were captured by Ukrainian forces, leaving relatives searching from afar for answers as recruiting agents blocked their calls. The Commission says the conflict continues to cause severe physical and psychological harm, hardship for victims and families, and wider damage through destruction. It has renewed its call for accountability through courts and other mechanisms, alongside comprehensive support for victims, and will present findings from its ongoing investigations to the UN General Assembly's 81st session in October 2026.