Human Rights Situation in Ukraine

Distr.: General | February 26, 2026

Sixty-first session | Agenda item 4

I. Introduction

1. This report enters the fifth year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As of early 2026, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (HRMMU) has recorded a significant surge in harm to the civilian population, with 2025 seeing a 31% increase in casualties compared to the previous year.

2. The conflict is increasingly defined by systematic and repeated attacks on energy infrastructure, leaving millions without heat or water during sub-zero temperatures, and an alarming rise in documented torture and enforced disappearances in occupied territories.

   
   

II. Findings on Torture and Detention

3. Systematic Abuse: UN experts warn that torture, including sexual violence and electric shocks, is widespread during the transfer and detention of Ukrainians. Over 1,700 civilians remain arbitrarily detained and held incommunicado in Russian prisons, often denied food, water, and medical care.

4. Attacks on Justice: In December 2025, the Russian Federation initiated prosecutions in absentia against ICC judges and prosecutors, a direct attack on international justice following warrants issued for the unlawful deportation of children.

5. Infrastructure and Environment: Long-range missile and drone strikes have become the leading cause of civilian deaths. The destruction of energy grids has not only caused humanitarian suffering but has triggered long-term ecological damage through the release of industrial pollutants.

III. Legal Recommendations

• Immediate Release of Detainees: Demand the immediate clarification of the whereabouts and unconditional release of all Ukrainian civilians subjected to enforced disappearance.

• Support for the Special Tribunal: Member states should finalize the legal framework for a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression to address the leadership responsible for the invasion, filling the gap where the ICC lacks jurisdiction.

• Energy Protection Protocols: Propose a new international legal standard that classifies the systematic destruction of a nation's energy grid during winter as a war crime equivalent to a "starvation siege."

• Reparations for Infrastructure: Establish a legally binding registry of damages to facilitate the eventual transfer of frozen sovereign assets for the reconstruction of civilian infrastructure.