Attacks on critical infrastructure during the Russia-Ukraine war are leaving civilians vulnerable ahead of winter, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regional director for Europe and Central Asia, Ariane Bauer, said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Light, heat, water. These services are vital for people to survive the cold months ahead. Yet their access to these life-saving services is limited or disappears with each blow that damages water pipelines, power plants and other critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure that makes vital services, including water and electricity, possible for the population is protected under international humanitarian law. All precautions should be taken to ensure the safety of both civilians and the vital services on which they depend,” it emphasized.
The statement noted that as winter approaches, strikes on critical infrastructure “increase the strain on systems that, after several years of Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, are already operating at the limits of their capacity.”
