UN rights office urges Russia to cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid as winter sets in
November 29, 2024
GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday urged Russia to immediately cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid and other civilian infrastructure, saying they were causing immense suffering and could amount to war crimes.
Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told a news briefing in Geneva that the attacks were having a devastating impact on the civilian population, particularly as winter sets in.
“We are deeply concerned about the impact of these attacks on the civilian population, particularly as winter sets in,” Shamdasani said. “These attacks may amount to war crimes.”
She said that since October 10, Russia had carried out at least 70 attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid, causing widespread power outages and leaving millions of people without access to essential services such as water, heating, and medical care.
“These attacks are causing immense suffering and hardship for the civilian population,” Shamdasani said. “They are also disrupting the provision of essential services, such as water, heating, and medical care.”
She said that the attacks were also having a severe impact on Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure, and were causing widespread displacement.
“We urge Russia to immediately cease these attacks and to respect international humanitarian law,” Shamdasani said.
The OHCHR called on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The office also called on Russia to allow humanitarian access to all areas affected by the conflict, and to facilitate the evacuation of civilians from areas where they are at risk.
UN rights office urges Russia to cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid as winter sets in
The AI has provided us with the news.
I’ve asked Google Gemini the following question, and here’s its response.
Human Rights a new article on 2024-11-29 12:00 titled “UN rights office urges Russia to cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid as winter sets in”. Please write a detailed article on this news item, including any relevant information. Answers should be in English.
4