Introduction

As countless meetings are held as part of international efforts to end Russia’s illegal war by diplomacy, Moscow is relentlessly pursuing its destruction of Ukraine.

The primary driver of Russia's continued war on Ukraine is the unchanging goal of the Kremlin architects of genocide of Ukrainians - to make Ukrainians Russian, and to make Ukraine Russia. (1) For Moscow, genocide is the means to destroy the Ukrainian sovereign state. (2)

Massive and systematic commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of genocide are an integral and principal part of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Russia’s main weapon against Ukraine is the ability to rain death and destruction on Ukrainians unrestrained by any legal or moral constraints. Moscow is acting with utter disregard and contempt for international humanitarian law. It is acting with a sense of full impunity.

As part of its genocidal policy, Russia is executing a calculated criminal strategy of attacking civilians and critical infrastructure to create perilous living conditions for Ukrainians that endanger human existence. This strategy includes the systematic deliberate killings of civilians; destruction of critical infrastructure with the aim of depriving civilians of access to the fulfilment of their basic life-sustaining needs. 

While Russia is waging its war of extermination and committing genocide entirely unrestrained, even many of Ukraine’s Western partners turn a blind eye to the heinous nature of Moscow’s genocidal plan. This intentional political myopia reflects the unwillingness of the Western governments to be pulled into war militarily. However, the brutality of Russia’s onslaught against the civilian population demands a robust response that should involve an urgent Humanitarian Military Mission of the international Coalition of Resolute to help protect the civilians in Ukraine.

The ongoing Russian genocide of Ukrainians

Since the start of its illegal war of aggression in 2014, Russia’s criminal objectives went far beyond territorial conquest in Ukraine, as is often misrepresented in world media. The Kremlin's words and actions over the years have clearly shown its aim to destroy Ukrainians and their national state. For Moscow, devouring Ukraine was, and remains, a crucial phase in advancing its revanchist ambitions to elevate its global power status and dismantle the Western-led international order. The Kremlin believed that if Ukraine fell, the international acceptance of Russia acting above international law would give it license to establish its sphere of influence everywhere it deemed in its interest, making Russia a global super power again. Moscow was also convinced that by destroying Ukraine and reestablishing its sphere of influence it would also expose the inability of the collective West to uphold the rules-based order, and consequently cripple its leadership in world affairs.

By placing such a high bet on destroying Ukraine, Russia devised a vicious strategy comprising criminal state-directed policies and barbaric war tactics to achieve total destruction of Ukraine. The colossal scale of Russia’s brutal assault against peaceful Ukrainians, both in temporarily occupied territories and far from the line of military engagement, exposes the radical nature of the Russian war of extermination against Ukraine. It is a war of annihilation, genocide, culturecide, linguicide, ecocide, and urbicide.

The core component of Russia’s war of extermination is the heinous policy of genocide to destroy the viability of Ukrainians as a distinct ethnic and national group. Ukrainians are targeted by deliberate, organized, systemic, and conscious actions, directed by the Russian state, to exterminate them as a group with a shared collective national and ethnic identity. The Russian state openly incites its people to commit genocide through a massive state-directed propaganda machine.

The architects of Russian genocide of Ukrainians openly espouse the humanity-hating ideology of Ruscism, known as “russkiy mir” (Russian world). This radical form of nationalism has been devised to rationalize Moscow's imperial claims over the Ukrainian people and their land, as well as other nations.

Evidence collected by international (3) organizations and human-rights (4) watchdogs paints a clear picture of the Russian government and Russian army operating within the framework of a coordinated policy to destroy Ukrainians. It is executed through mass and systematic violations of international human-rights law and international humanitarian law.

A litany of harrowing Russian crimes reveals a concerted plan to destroy the Ukrainian people. This systematic campaign of destruction is evidenced by a long list of criminal policies and actions, but here we outline just two groups:

Widespread systemic violence against civilians

• Deliberate targeting of people for their Ukrainian identity, language, religion, culture, use of national symbols, and support for the idea of Ukrainian nationhood.
• Scorched-earth military sieges of entire cities that make the survival of local civilian population nearly impossible.
• Monstrously cruel and patterned attacks against civilians, particularly in frontline areas, notoriously through a systematic "human safari" tactic using drones to indiscriminately hunt down and kill civilians and mass killings.
• Historically unprecedented air strikes deliberately targeting civilians and critical infrastructure in attacks that do not provide Russia with any direct military advantage.
• Systemic torture, rape, and vicious violence against civilians and prisoners of war in Russian captivity.
• Systemic policy of violence against the population in the occupied territories, including through “filtration camps”, deprivation of access to basic services, gross violation of women's reproductive rights.

Destruction of Ukrainian identity, community life and national character in occupied territories

• The deliberate targeting of leaders, activists, journalists, and clergy, including by using “kill list” executions, “disappearances”, illegal imprisonment.
• Violence, threats, and terror within occupied territories aimed at pressuring the civilian population to either abandon their identity or flee.
• Forced transfer of local population and transfer of Russian citizens into occupied territory for demographic manipulation.
• Forced transfer of children and their consequent indoctrination to erase their Ukrainian identity and subject them to Russian military education.
• The destruction of historical sites, cultural and religious objects.
• Eradication of essential foundations of life within the group: national feelings, shared values, language, culture, history, religion, political, and social institutions.

As the Ukrainian army has demonstrated an incredible effort to hold off the Russian advance on the front line, Russia has increased its attack on the civilian population both near and far away from the front line. This deliberate, coordinated, systematic, large-scale attack is designed to create perilous living conditions for the civilian population.

Russia’s design to create perilous living conditions for civilians

Russian forces systematically employ illegal methods and means of warfare designed to disrupt the foundations of community life so as to deprive large numbers of Ukrainian civilians of access to the fulfilment of their basic life-sustaining needs. The magnitude of Russian crimes leaves no doubt about their objective to create conditions endangering human existence or making it entirely impossible in many Ukrainian towns and cities.

The Russian army, under centralized command, systematically and methodically execute deliberate strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Flourishing Ukrainian cities have been pulverized into urban deserts. Bakhmut, Vovchansk, Maryinka, Soledar, Lysychansk, and Popasna will long remain symbols of Russian merciless barbarity depriving the civilian population of any realistic chance of rescue and survival. At this very moment, a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the city of Oleshky in Russia-occupied part of the Kherson region, where Russians are depriving local inhabitants of access to basic services – literally starving them out and hunting by drones in “human safari”. (5)

From February 2022 until mid January 2026 Russia launched (6) over 13,300 missiles of various types and over 142,300 strike unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukraine. From December 2025 to February 2026, Russia attacked with more than 14,670 guided aerial bombs, 738 missiles, and nearly 19,000 attack drones. (7) As evidenced by the pattern of repeated strikes, a significant portion of the Russian air attacks was directed against the civilian population (8) and civilian infrastructure (9). In 2025, approximately 35 per cent (10) of civilian casualties were caused directly by Russian air strikes.

In 2025, against the backdrop of so-called “peace” negotiations, Russia tripled its air strikes (11) on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure compared to 2024. As a result of Russian occupation and the damage and destruction (12) of Ukraine’s energy facilities by air strikes, effective energy production has fallen to 20 per cent of pre-war capacity (13), creating a critical electricity deficit. More than 50 per cent (14) of all hydroelectric power plants in Ukraine were damaged, and more than 40 per cent destroyed. Russia destroyed approximately 90 per cent (15) of Ukraine’s thermal power plants. At the beginning of 2026, as a result of significant damage to energy infrastructure caused by Russian air strikes, approximately 80 per cent (16) of Ukraine’s territory suffered large-scale emergency blackouts.

Russian air strikes carry an increasing risk of a nuclear incident (17) at Ukrainian nuclear power plants due to disruption of stable electricity supply needed to maintain safety systems. High risks of damage to critical infrastructure (18) which could provoke an emergency situation pose challenges to radiological safety across the continent.

In February 2025, a Russian strike UAV hit the shelter (19) that safeguards the world from radiation from the destroyed Unit 4 reactor at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. As a result, its integrity was breached and significant long-term damage inflicted. The new safe confinement over the destroyed reactor at Chornobyl has lost its principal safety functions (20), including its capacity to provide isolation. It now requires renewed efforts (21) by the international community for comprehensive remediation to prevent further degradation and to ensure long-term nuclear safety.

Russia has repeatedly launched mass strikes (22) on the electrical substations through which Ukrainian nuclear power plants output electricity, which is vital to their nuclear safety. The intent of these strikes was to trigger the emergency protection systems of nuclear plants, leading to their automatic shutdown, thereby causing collapse of Ukraine’s power systems. The methodical nature of these attacks also indicates that the Russian Federation calculatedly seeks to provoke a nuclear incident through the unpredictable consequences of emergency shutdowns of nuclear power units.

In blatant defiance of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, Russian political leadership, officials of the Russian Ministry of Defence, and the command of the Russian Armed Forces have repeatedly publicly declared Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to be a target of Russian military strikes (23). The coordinated, systematic, and wide-ranging character of these strikes indicates an objective of total destruction of Ukraine’s electric-power infrastructure pursued by Russia, including generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and heat.

Moscow’s systematic execution of the strategy to destroy critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, particularly in densely populated cities and during extreme winter temperatures, indicates an intent to provoke a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Modern human life depends on the use of electricity. The destruction of critical infrastructure results in severe disruption of access to basic services necessary for elementary everyday life: public warning systems (air-raid sirens), electricity supply, heating and hot water, water supply, sewage and sanitation systems, healthcare and access to medicines, education, economic livelihood, public transport, and telecommunications. By actively employing precision long-range weapons for unprecedented attacks on energy infrastructure, Russia deliberately aims to deprive Ukrainians of access to these basic services, thereby jeopardising the health and lives of millions of people.

Russia is targeting water supply and water treatment facilities (24) to undermine public health, safety, and the overall resilience of affected communities. The largest Ukrainian cities – Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv - are under an elevated risk of severe and multifaceted consequences with major humanitarian impact for local populations.

Russia is also conducting large-scale attacks on the railway system (25) – passanger trains (26), locomotives, freight cars, bridges, railyards, and railway maintenance equipment, bridges and railyards.

Moscow’s criminal strategy to create perilous living conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Ukrainians is further evidenced by systematic deliberate killings of civilians, including through “human safari” (27) strikes with FPV drones; systematic shelling of residential areas and precise direct attacks on residential buildings; systematic attacks on healthcare facilities, child-care institutions, educational and cultural institutions, religious sites, enterprises, public transport, and institutions and personnel involved in protecting the civilian population from the dangers of armed conflict.

As a result of criminal actions (28) by the Russian Armed Forces, thousands of peaceful people have been killed or have suffered injuries and disabilities; more than 236,000 residential buildings have been destroyed, including more than 2.5 million apartments; over 2,760 strikes have been carried out against healthcare institutions, with at least 2,500 damaged or completely destroyed; more than 4,000 educational establishments have been damaged or destroyed; more than 1,600 cultural heritage sites and over 2,400 cultural institutions have been damaged; and over 600 religious buildings - including churches, mosques, synagogues, and prayer houses - have been attacked.

Another part of Russia’s coordinated policy of creating perilous living conditions in Ukraine is the deliberate attacks with the objective of preventing recovery from destruction. Russia regularly attacks to prevent Ukrainians from restoring damaged or destroyed critical infrastructure; firefighting; providing first aid; carrying out evacuations; restoring electricity, water, and heat supply necessary to preserve the basic conditions of life in communities. When attacking Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, the Russian Armed Forces employ a systematic practice of repeated so-called “double strikes" against first responders of the State Emergency Service, fire brigades, emergency-rescue personnel, medical staff, police, repair brigades and other persons involved in providing relief to the victims or in repairing the damage from air strikes. Russians also direct precise targeted air strikes against fire-and-rescue stations, medical institutions, and ambulances with the purpose of killing personnel and destroying rescue equipment and machinery.

It is important to emphasize that Putin is not acting alone. Russia’s genocidal policy is directed by the criminal Ruscist regime which is supported by the political elite, military, religious, and other social structures in Russia. This aggressive regime unambiguously pursues the policy of demolishing the international rules based order. The problem is aggravated by the fact that as a result of state-sponsored brainwashing by the totalitarian ideology of ruscism, more than 70% of Russians support this regime and its objectives.

Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine’s civilians and critical infrastructure are setting conditions for a humanitarian crisis, particularly in large urban communities. A humanitarian disaster will hurt Ukraine’s military capability to mount defensive efforts — the only effective force preventing a larger number of casualties of the Russian genocide.

Urgent Need for Robust International Action

The wilful blindness of the international community to the genocidal nature of Russia's crimes allows Moscow to escalate its brutality. This blindness is political, and is amply illustrated by two examples. Over 30 countries and international organisations have joined the International Court of Justice lawsuit (29) against Israel, which was initiated by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip. No similar lawsuit has been brought against Russia. For the US President Trump, Iran striking civilian targets in the Gulf region shows the regime’s “level of evil” (30), but when it comes to Russia, killing civilians in Ukraine in a campaign of genocide is treated as part and parcel of war.

The West’s response to Russia’s campaign of death and destruction by missile and drone strikes should not be to condemn Ukrainians to suffering and the Sisyphean task of endlessly rebuilding their infrastructure. As Ukraine suffers colossal destruction, Europe's refusal to provide long-range missiles in their possession for strikes on Russian ammunition depots and weapons factories is unjustifiable. German Taurus missiles capable of destroying Russian military capability would have been infinitely more effective for saving lives than electric generators after the fact that can not stop the deadly air attacks.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces remain the key and sole defence protecting civilians from the inevitable consequences of the Kremlin’s genocidal designs. After twelve years of exhausting struggle, and the overwhelming Russian resources directed at attacking Ukraine, the Ukrainian army suffers from a persistent shortage of material means and personnel for more effective defence.

This moment in history calls for urgent and decisive action of the international community to help Ukraine protect its people by:

1. Military Support and Defense 

• Accelerate and expand military aid: Focus on providing long-range weapons to neutralize threats within Russian territory.
• Deploy a humanitarian military mission: Strengthen Ukraine’s air defence capacity to jointly intercept Russian missiles and drones, preventing further humanitarian catastrophe.
• Form a "Coalition of the Resolute": Fight alongside Ukraine to counter Russian armed aggression and to stop genocide by actively pushing Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory militarily.

2. Economic Pressure and Finance 

• Confiscate and transfer Russian sovereign assets: Ensure Ukraine has the financial resources needed to mount a sustained defence and initiate reconstruction.
• Impose a full economic embargo: Isolate the Russian economy to deprive the regime of resources necessary for continuing the war. 
• Increase the volume of financial and humanitarian support: Finance restoration of the damaged energy facilities and building new energy capacity to stabilize energy networks. Finance protection of centralized heating and water supply systems. Support programs promoting safe living conditions, access to medicine, education, and jobs in Ukraine.

3. Accountability and Justice 

• Launch the work of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression: Provide funding and institutional support to accelerate the formation and commencement of operations of the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine to establish justice and ensure accountability for the Russian military and political leadership, and other individuals guilty of committing crimes against peace in Ukraine.
• Ensure full cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC): Facilitate the implementation of arrest warrants, and provide funding to the ICC so it can fulfill its mandate to ensure justice for all victims of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
• Facilitate accountability: Take national measures for the criminal prosecution of individuals responsible for committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine within respective national jurisdictions.

A Humanitarian Military Mission to help defend Ukraine and its people from death and destruction is the most critical priority. Such a mission should leverage Western air power to protect civilians and critical infrastructure—including nuclear power plants—from Russian air threats.

Striking down Russia’s missiles and UAVs in Ukraine’s skies does not risk direct confrontation with Russia, nor would it be an act of war against Russia - it is an act of humanity to save innocent lives from genocide.

Unfortunately, instead of taking forceful measures to defend Ukrainians from genocide, Western governments hide their inaction behind the excuse of “peace” process. Ignoring Russia's genocidal intent to avoid "obstacles" to "peace talks" is a dangerous sacrifice of truth for a political agenda that carries a high human cost. Since Trump's reversal of the American policy on Ukraine, the scale of devastation has grown exponentially (31).

Most political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic ocean pretend that Moscow’s plans for Ukraine are limited to territorial gains, and consequently that Russia’s aggression can be stopped by Kyiv ceding territory in the Donbas region. This delusional position ignores both Russia’s gigantic commitment to pursue its revanchist objective of regaining global power status, and Moscow’s aim of obliterating Ukraine. Putin has not been deterred by losing over 1.2 million military casualties because he still believes that such price is worth paying for achieving his maximalist goals.

The West remains entrenched in “escalation management” of Russia’s war to avoid undertaking any risks of military involvement. Despite witnessing the expanse and brutality of Russia’s attack on Ukrainian civilians, the West still denies Ukraine the tools required to defend against this war of extermination. Many in the West are willing (33) to strike down the Iranian Shaheed drones over the Gulf, but not over Ukraine. Every day the West refuses to forcefully respond to Russia’s atrocities, more suffering is inflicted on Ukrainians and the world grows more dangerous. This inaction only exposes Western weakness.

By allowing Russia to wage a war of extermination against Ukraine, the West is setting the stage for the future war against itself – a total war without any respect for International Humanitarian Law or traditional laws of war. Considering the rapid advancements in autonomous unmanned military technologies, Western inaction to thwart Russia’s aggressive regime is inviting a drone armageddon that Moscow is already preparing to bring to Europe.

Righting the wrong of the history of silence to previous Russian genocides of Ukrainians

The industrial scale of Russian crimes underscores Moscow’s determination to destroy Ukrainians as a distinct ethnic and national group. Putin has not bet Russia’s future on merely seizing parts of Ukrainian territory; he wants to see Ukraine annihilated and its statehood dismantled as part of a larger policy to establish Russia’s hegemony in Europe, and hence its global power status.

Russia’s utter disregard for the international rules-based order and humanitarian law constitutes not only an assault on Ukraine but an attack on the international community as a whole. Russia’s unrestrained aggression against Ukraine opened a Pandora’s box of war, using conflict as a tool of hegemony to subordinate and control other nations. The ensuing global instability is a direct consequence of the failure of the international community to uphold the rules-based order by forcing Russia to cease its aggression and halt genocide.

Defeating Russia is not only vital for Ukraine but essential for the future of the world. The international rules-based order must be restored to ensure global peace and security. It is imperative that the genocide committed by Russia against Ukrainians is acknowledged and halted, and that a robust framework is established to prevent such atrocities against any group worldwide. Stopping Russia will also send a clear message to other rogue regimes that aggression and genocide are unacceptable in the modern era.

The international community has yet to implement measures capable of effectively stopping Russia’s criminal actions. Many countries continue to enable these crimes by maintaining economic ties, ignoring that preventing Russia from fully executing its destructive plans requires depriving it of the capability to carry out its criminal actions.

The world must confront the deadly complacency regarding the Russian Holodomor genocide against Ukrainians which killed between 4 and 10 million people while the United States was establishing diplomatic relations with the Soviet regime. Today is an opportunity for the world to repent for the sin of inaction and right the wrongs of history.

The crime of genocide is an attack on humanity, and the international community must employ the full force of law to help defend humankind from the rogue Russian state. (34) International resistance to the Russian genocide must become a cornerstone of the international community's efforts to maintain peace and security in the world. Broad recognition of the Russian genocide will signify a pivotal moment in high-level political decision-making. (35) It will open a new political and legal tool kit to confront Moscow’s genocidal agenda in Ukraine.

Twelve years of defiant self-defence against Russia’s systematic and large-scale commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of genocide show the incredible strength of the Ukrainian people. But Ukraine should not be fighting the world’s most aggressive and dangerous regime alone. The international community must finally find the will to significantly increase support to jointly help Ukraine stop the Russian genocide and war, which pose a grave threat to global peace and security.

Remarks: This article draws on the position paper Europe’s Weakness is Enabling Russia’s Destruction of Ukraine and the Free World authored by Roman Sohn and Ariana Gic, which was presented at the 2026 Munich Security Conference. Sections of this position paper on the ongoing Russian genocide of Ukrainians became part of the 2026 Resolution by the parliament of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada, on the Denouncement of the Coordinated Policy of the Russian Federation Calculated for Creating Intolerable Living Conditions for the Ukrainian People With the Goal of Their Physical Destruction (36).

This article was published in The Ukrainian Quarterly (A Journal of Ukrainian and International Affairs) Volume LXXXII, Number 1, 2026, https://ucca.org

End notes

1 Ariana Gic, Marko Mihkelson and Roman Sohn, 'Tragedy of the West: Sacrificing Ukraine and the Rules-Based Order', Commentary, 3 December 2025, RUSI, https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/tragedy-west-sacrificing-ukraine-and-rules-based-order/

2 Roman Sohn, Ariana Gic, Hanna Hopko, 'The world needs an international “Justice Coalition” for Russian genocide against Ukrainians', Baltic Rim Economies 1/2024 - Ukraine's integration to west, Centrum Balticum, Link

3 International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR, https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/iicihr-ukraine/index/

4 'Ukraine report', Amnesty International, https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/eastern-europe-and-central-asia/ukraine/report-ukraine/

5 Zarina Zabrisky, 'Mined, starved out, hunted from above: Life in the towns Russia demands at the peace table', Euromaidan Press, 16 March 2026, https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/03/16/mined-in-starved-out-hunted-from-above-life-in-the-towns-russia-demands-at-the-peace-table/

6 'Russia has launched over 13,000 missiles, 142,000 drones at Ukraine since 2022 — top commander', Espreso Global, 13 January 2026, https://global.espreso.tv/russian-war-crimes-russia-has-launched-over-13000-missiles-142000-drones-at-ukraine-since-2022-top-commander

7 'Zelenskyy reveals how many missiles, aerial bombs and drones Russia has launched at Ukraine', Ukrainska Pravda, 1 March 2026, https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/03/01/8023334/

8 'Ukraine: Escalating Russian attacks on civilians', Human Rights Watch, 22 May 2025, https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/05/22/ukraine-escalating-russian-attacks-civilians

9 Georg Zachmann, Frank Meissner, Iegor Riepin, 'Mitigating Ukraine’s looming electricity crisis', Energy Strategy Reviews, Volume 59, 2025, 101724, ISSN 2211-467X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2025.101724. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X25000872)

10 '2025 deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, UN human rights monitors find', Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 12 January 2026, https://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/2025-deadliest-year-for-civilians-in-Ukraine-since-2022-UN-human-rights-monitors-find

11 'Battle-tested power systems: Resilience and preparedness for Europe's electricity sector', Eurelectric, February 2026, https://www.eurelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20260212-Battle-tested-power-systems-FINAL.pdf

12 'Ukraine's energy security and the coming winter, International Energy Agency', 2024, https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/cec49dc2-7d04-442f-92aa-54c18e6f51d6/UkrainesEnergySecurityandtheComingWinter.pdf

13 'EU at UN Security Council: Ukraine has lost up to 80% of its pre-war thermal electricity production capacity', EU Neighbours East, 11 September 2024, https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/eu-at-un-security-council-ukraine-has-lost-up-to-80-of-its-pre-war-thermal-electricity-production-capacity/

14 'Ukraine has repaired over half of power generation capacities hit by Russian attacks', Ukrainska Pravda, 15 July 2025, https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/07/15/7521892/

15 'Analysis on risk of unprecedented nuclear disaster in Ukraine', Greenpeace, October 2024, https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-ukraine-stateless/2024/10/67e7e9d4-greenpeace_analysis_on_risk_of_unprecedented_nuclear_disaster_in.docx.pdf

16 'Ukraine war latest: 80% of Ukraine faces emergency power cuts, 15% of Kyiv residential buildings remain without heat after Russia's attacks', The Kyiv Independent, January 25 2026, https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-jan-24-25-2026/

17 'Ukraine war keeps nuclear safety on a knife-edge, UN watchdog warns', United Nations News, 6 February 2026, https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/02/1166914

18 'UN watchdog warns Ukraine war remains world's biggest threat to nuclear safety', United Nations Office at Geneva, 30 January 2026, https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/news/2026/01/115386/un-watchdog-warns-ukraine-war-remains-worlds-biggest-threat-nuclear

19 'Strike on Chernobyl: 'No room for complacency' says atomic energy chief', United Nations News, february 14, 2025, https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160141

20 'Chornobyl disaster shelter no longer blocks radiation and needs major repair', IAEA says, The Guardian, 6 December 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/06/chornobyl-disaster-shelter-no-longer-blocks-radiation-and-needs-major-repair-iaea

21 'Ukraine says Russian drone damaged Chornobyl's radiation shield', CBC News, 14 February 2025, https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-chornobyl-shelter-drone-hit-1.7459196

22 'Ukraine repairs nuclear substation but situation remains critical after mass attack', The Kyiv Independent, 9 February 2026, https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-repairs-nuclear-substation-but-situation-remains-critical-after-mass-attack/

23 Tania Myronyshena, 'No, Russia's attacks on energy infrastructure are not retaliation for Ukraine's strikes on oil refineries', The Kyiv Independent, 14 February 2026, https://kyivindependent.com/no-russias-attacks-on-energy-infrastructure-are-not-retaliation-for-ukraines-strikes-on-oil-refineries/

24 'Ukraine Regains More Territory Than Russia Captured in February 2026,' Ukrainska Pravda, 22 February 2026, https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/02/22/8022212/

25 'Russia Steps Up Drone Attacks on Ukraine's Railways', DW, 12 March. 2026, https://www.dw.com/en/russia-steps-up-drone-attacks-on-ukraines-railways/a-76309315/

26 ''It Feels Like That Has Been Taken Away from Us'—Russia's Rail Attacks Make Travel across Ukraine More Dangerous', Kyiv Independent, 14 March 2026, https://kyivindependent.com/it-feels-like-that-has-been-taken-away-from-us-russias-rail-attacks-make-travel-across-ukraine-more-dangerous/

27 'UN Commission Concludes That Russian Armed Forces' Drone Attacks Against Civilians Constitute Crimes Against Humanity', United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, OHCHR, 28 May 2025, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/un-commission-concludes-russian-armed-forces-drone-attacks-against-civilians

28 Appeal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the parliaments and governments of foreign states, international organizations, and international parliamentary assemblies regarding the denouncement of the coordinated policy of the Russian Federation calculated for creating intolerable living conditions for the Ukrainian people with the goal of their physical destruction, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 11 February 2026, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4784-20

29 'Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)', International Court of Justice, ICJ, https://icj-cij.org/case/192/

30 Donald Trump, 'FULL Q&A: President Trump Faces Press on Iran War, Israel, Gulf.' YouTube, 3 March 2026, https://youtu.be/1QZPqfW2yp8

31 '2025 deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, UN human rights monitors find', Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 12 January 2026, https://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/2025-deadliest-year-for-civilians-in-Ukraine-since-2022-UN-human-rights-monitors-find

33 'Joint Statement by the Leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Iran', Élysée, 28 February 2026, https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2026/03/01/joint-statement-by-the-leaders-of-france-germany-and-the-united-kingdom-on-indiscriminate-iranian-attacks-on-countries-in-the-region

34 Roman Sohn, Ariana Gic, Hanna Hopko, 'The world needs an international “Justice Coalition” for Russian genocide against Ukrainians', Baltic Rim Economies 1/2024 - Ukraine's integration to west, Centrum Balticum, Link

35 Hanna Hopko, Roman Sohn, Ariana Gic, 'Russian genocide: international responsibility and challenges for the world', Ukrainska Pravda, 15 october 2024, https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/columns/2024/10/15/7479783/

36 Appeal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the parliaments and governments of foreign states, international organizations, and international parliamentary assemblies regarding the denouncement of the coordinated policy of the Russian Federation calculated for creating intolerable living conditions for the Ukrainian people with the goal of their physical destruction, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 11 February 2026, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4784-20

About authors:

Roman Sohn is an International law expert, researcher of the Russian genocide, coordinator of the international campaign to recognize Russia as the aggressor state. He advises Ukrainian parliament on matters of international law, as well as international media on Ukraine. Mr.Sohn is the co-author of the upcoming book Unrecognized War. He is Chair of the Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine, and a Senior Advisor at National Interests Advocacy Network ANTS.

Ariana Gic is a writer, political and legal analyst, and coordinator of various advocacy campaigns for a strong international response to Russia’s war and genocide against Ukraine. Ms. Gic is the co-author of the upcoming book Unrecognized War. She is the Director of the Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine and Senior Advisor at Centre for Eastern European Democracy. Ms. Gic is sanctioned by the Russian Federation.