‘Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure amount to genocide’

Moscow: Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin said that continued Russian attacks on critical infrastructure across the war-torn nation amount to genocide, adding that strikes on key facilities targeted “the full Ukrainian nation” and were an effort to force Kiev to surrender.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Kostin said that besides the attacks on the energy grid, 11,000 Ukrainian children had been forcibly deported to Russia.

The top official added his office was investigating reports of more than 49,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24.

The “same pattern of conduct” was being seen in every Ukrainian settlement occupied by Russian forces, he told the BBC.

Of the war crimes seen since Russia waged its war against Ukraine, Kostin said 260 people had been indicted and 13 verdicts were issued by Ukrainian courts.

He called for the creation of an “international ad-hoc tribunal”, supported by countries of “the whole civilised world” who opposed the invasion to hold Russia to account.

Millions of people across Ukraine are facing power cuts in freezing weather, following sustained Russian attacks.

Addressing the nation on Sunday, Yevhenii Yenin, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, said that to date, about 32,000 civilian properties and over 700 critical infrastructure facilities have been damaged by Russian missile strikes and shelling, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

According to Yenin, the civilian properties were mainly private homes and residential apartments, while only 3 per cent of these attacks hit military establishments.

The affected critical infrastructure facilities include airfields, bridges, oil depots, electricity sub-stations, among others.

The Minister also reported that 524 settlements in seven region currently have problems with their power supply — either a complete or partial lack of electricity.