‘Nowhere is safe’: UN experts detail Ukraine war’s toll and Russia’s reach beyond its borders

UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts on Monday laid out a grim picture of the human cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with a spotlight on civilians facing a third wartime winter as well as the intimidation of Russians who have fled abroad.The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, presenting an update to the council, said repeated Russian strikes on energy infrastructure are leaving Ukrainian civilians more exposed as winter approaches following a brutal 2025–2026 season in which temperatures fell to 20°C below and millions endured long power and heating outages.Dangerous winter loomsA 74-year-old woman in Kyiv, living in an 18th floor apartment, told commissioners that power cuts routinely knocked out the lifts, trapping her without medicine or heat.“There was no way to go in or out,” she said. “I lay cold and hungry, without medicine, without anything.”Commission chair Erik Møse said continued attacks on energy infrastructure are making living conditions increasingly unbearable for civilians.“We are concerned that the coming winter will be more difficult to endure,” he said.The commission is also examining Russia’s push to embed patriotic and militar...