UN-backed Inquiry Says Russia Committed War Crimes in Ukraine

Russia committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine by intentionally attacking energy infrastructure, leaving millions of people without electricity and heat in freezing temperatures, a United Nations-backed inquiry reported Monday.

The inquiry also found evidence Russia recruited men from 29 countries into its armed forces "through deception or coercion" to fight in Ukraine in violation of international law. The men, age 18 to 60, "came mostly from vulnerable and marginalized communities, with a poor economic background and a low education level," it said.

The independent commission of inquiry was authorized by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to investigate human rights violations shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its report to the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee on Monday was its first focusing on the impact of Russia’s wide-ranging attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

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