98  Warcrimes – infrastructure

Myth
  • Ukraine destroys its own civilian infrastructure to harm the Russians
  • Russia only targets military and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine

    Search for topic in EUvsDisinfo
Truth

Russia is bombing civilian infrastructure and people’s homes - a violation of international law, even if Russia were defending itself, which is not the case.

The Protocol1 also states that “indiscriminate attacks are prohibited. Indiscriminate attacks are those things that are not directed at a specific military objective”. The Russian army attacked numerous civil infrastructure objects. On 6 June, 2023 took place an attack, which is impressive not only in the number of victims but also in the scale of the consequences - blew up the Kakhovka HPP2 in the Kherson region. According to the latest data, at least 32 people were killed in the controlled territory of Ukraine alone, the situation is much worse in the occupied part. In addition to human casualties, the destruction of hydroelectric power plants has serious environmental consequences3.

Since October 2022 Russia has been waging a campaign aimed at destroying the Ukrainian critical infrastructure namely electricity and heat generation and its distribution. During October–March 2022 in accordance with Ministry of energy data about 50% of the energy infrastructure was damaged by shelling4. Lately, On 22 March 2024 Russia launched one of the largest missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, targeting at least 10 regions of the country. Since then, Russia has struck Ukrainian power plants across the country, and on 28 March destroyed the Trypilska TPP, the largest power plant in the Kyiv region5.

  1. IHL Treaties - Additional Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions, 1977 - Article 51. (n.d.). IHL Databases. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977/article-51↩︎

  2. Major dam breached in southern Ukraine, unleashing floodwaters. (2023, June 6). Reuters. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-says-russia-blows-up-major-nova-kakhovka-dam-southern-ukraine-2023-06-06/↩︎

  3. What environmental consequences has Ukraine suffered during the war, apart from the damage caused by the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station? (2023, June 20). Kyiv School of Economics. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://kse.ua/about-the-school/news/what-environmental-consequences-has-ukraine-suffered-during-the-war-apart-from-the-damage-caused-by-the-explosion-of-the-kakhovka-hydroelectric-power-station/↩︎

  4. Пошкоджені 50 % енергетичної інфраструктури України - росія має відповісти за це, – Герман Галущенко [50% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been damaged - Russia must be held accountable, - Herman Halushchenko]. (2023, March 4). Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/poshkodzheni-50-enerhetychnoi-infrastruktury-ukrainy-rosiia-maie-vidpovisty-za-tse-herman-halushchenko↩︎

  5. Russia strikes power plant near Kyiv with new Kh-69 missiles — report. (2024, April 11). NV. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://english.nv.ua/nation/russia-strikes-power-plant-near-kyiv-with-new-kh-69-missiles-report-50409315.html↩︎