On the night of 22 March 2024, Russia launched massive missile attacks on Ukraine's critical civilian (primarily energy) infrastructure, resulting in the destruction of civilian facilities. Today, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Cherkasy, and some settlements in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions were under attack. This was the second attack in a row after a massive attack on Kyiv and Kyiv region the day before.
The full impact of the night attack on 22 March is difficult to assess, but as of 14.00, direct hits were reported at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station (DniproHES) in Zaporizhzhia. A hit to the dam of the hydroelectric power plant could have catastrophic consequences for the lives of Ukrainians and the environment. Oil products leaked into the Dnipro River, which could also cause significant damage to the ecosystem. Along with the attack on the Kakhovka dam, such actions by the Russian Federation can be equated to the use of weapons of mass destruction.
As a result of the morning attack, the external overhead line connecting the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP to the integrated power system of Ukraine was disconnected, and the plant was on the verge of blackout. The most difficult situation is currently in Kharkiv, where the Russian army has literally tried to destroy the main energy facilities that supply the city, striking at least 15 times at energy facilities. According to Kharkiv Regional Electricity Company, about 700,000 consumers in Kharkiv are currently without electricity.
Hundreds of thousands of people across Ukraine remain without electricity, water and heat. These attacks have claimed the lives of at least five people, including a child; 30 people have been injured, and residential buildings and civilian facilities have been damaged.
This is not the first time that Russia has attacked Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure, but today's attack has already been assessed as one of the most massive and destructive since the beginning of Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine. The targeted attacks hit key facilities that ensure the operation of the power system as a whole - power generation, high-voltage substations, and distribution operator substations. Emergency blackouts have already been introduced in seven regions of Ukraine. Facilities that provide key services are without power: medical facilities, emergency call systems for key services (police, hospitals, etc.), railway stations, and there are problems with water and heating.
Attacks on civilian objects (8(2)(b)(ii)), causing excessive harm to civilians and damage to civilian objects (8(2)(b)(iv)) constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity (7(1)(k)) within the meaning of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Earlier, on 5 March, the ICC's II Pre-Trial Chamber issued arrest warrants for two representatives of the Russian military command for the attack on civilian infrastructure, including the Kremenchuk hydroelectric power station.
We call on the Government of Ukraine to provide the investigative and prosecutorial authorities with the appropriate legislative tools to document all violations in a quality manner and in accordance with international criminal law standards. In particular, to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC without further delay and implement it in the criminal and criminal procedure codes; to ensure adequate protection and support for victims and witnesses of massive shelling at the state level. High-quality documentation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in accordance with international standards is a key responsibility of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies.
We hope that the Office of the ICC Prosecutor will include the episodes of massive shelling of critical infrastructure on 22 March 2024 in its ongoing investigation of Russia's actions and expand the circle of suspects to the highest political level as responsible for implementing a systematic and consistent policy of destroying Ukraine's critical civilian infrastructure.
We call on our partner countries to step up their efforts to provide air defence systems to ensure the protection of civilians and IHL-protected objects.
22.03.2024
