Ukraine accuses Russia of a targeted energy attack at the UN

Melnyk: Russia deliberately hit Ukraine's energy sector during frosts

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Andriy Melnyk said that Russia deliberately waited for a sharp cold snap to strike one of the largest-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and leave millions of civilians without heat and electricity.

According to him, whenever the international community believes that Moscow has already reached the limit of cynicism and cruelty, the Kremlin «finds a way to sink even lower», demonstrating the absence of any moral constraints in the conduct of war.

Melnyk stressed that the attacks were carried out in early January, when temperatures in Ukraine dropped to -15°C and demand for heat and electricity increased dramatically. The attacks put millions of people at risk of hypothermia, disruptions to hospitals, water supply systems and critical infrastructure.

The Ukrainian diplomat stressed that such actions by Russia have signs of targeted energy terror against the civilian population and require a tough international response.

Details of the application

According to Andriy Melnyk, According to him, the Russian drone and missile strikes were synchronised with the period of peak frost, which significantly increased their humanitarian consequences. He noted that Russia is trying to use winter as an instrument of pressure on Ukrainian society and Ukraine's partners.

The diplomat called on UN member states to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and to speed up the supply of air defence equipment and equipment to restore the power grid to Ukraine.

Context.

During the winter months, Russian troops regularly carry out massive attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in an attempt to cause electricity and heating shortages in the face of low temperatures. The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stressed that such attacks are aimed not only at military but also at psychological pressure on the civilian population.

Ukraine's international partners continue to provide assistance to rebuild the country's energy infrastructure and strengthen its air defence system to protect against new missile and drone attacks.