Statement by the OSCE Troika to condemn Russia’s repeated and deliberate attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure

HELSINKI/VALLETTA/BERN, 13 October 2025 - Today, the OSCE Troika – Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Foreign Minister of Finland Elina Valtonen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta Ian Borg, and Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis – made the following statement:

“Last week, Russia has intensified its deliberate attacks by missiles and drones against Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure with major impacts on the supply of essential services to the civilian population. A clear pattern of aggression that began already in 2022. Russia has struck throughout the country leaving thousands of civilians in big cities and population centers like Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv without power and water.

We condemn attacks against civilian infrastructure in the strongest possible terms. The arrival of winter makes these attacks even more egregious. The deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure is a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law. Such attacks violate the core principles of distinction and proportionality enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and may therefore constitute war crimes. Russia must be held accountable for its actions. There must be no impunity for crimes committed in and against Ukraine, including war crimes and the crime of aggression.

Russia’s actions further highlight the urgent need for an unconditional and comprehensive ceasefire. We urge Russia to stop the killing and engage in constructive negotiations. We support all efforts towards ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and achieving a just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine based on international law, including the UN Charter, and the Helsinki Final Act.

Ukraine and its people have demonstrated outstanding resilience during Russia’s full-scale war of aggression, which has lasted nearly four years now. We remain committed to supporting Ukraine in its efforts to ensure winter preparedness and the restoration of civilian infrastructure affected by the war, with the aim of safeguarding the population’s access to essential services, including electricity, heating and water. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

We reiterate our full support for continued efforts to secure the return of unlawfully deported or transferred Ukrainian children, the exchange of prisoners of war, and the release of arbitrarily detained civilians, including the three detained OSCE officials, Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov.”