The Security Service of Ukraine is investigating over 130,000 criminal cases related to russia’s armed aggression. These proceedings cover 80% of all crimes committed by the aggressor on Ukrainian territory since the invasion began, including attacks on energy infrastructure. Since the start of the full-scale war, the enemy has carried out 596 such strikes on oil and gas infrastructure alone.

This was stated by Acting Head of the SSU Major General Yevheniy Khmara during his speech at the international conference United for Justice: Accountability for Crimes Against the Civilian Population.

‘SSU investigators are systematically working to identify those responsible. Behind every strike are specific names and surnames. Therefore, our task is not only to document the consequences of attacks on critical infrastructure and prove their systematic nature, but also to identify the perpetrators, commanders, and organisers. And then – to hold them accountable. The Security Service is doing and will do everything possible to find and punish those responsible,’ the Head of the Service emphasised.

To this end, the SSU continuously collects, verifies, and systematises the evidence base. Subsequently, these materials are forwarded to the court. They are also integrated into international mechanisms, particularly the proceedings of the International Criminal Court. These materials serve as the basis for decisions on imposing sanctions against individuals and entities involved in the aggression against Ukraine. As of now, over a thousand russians have been declared suspects of war crimes.

Yevheniy Khmara also emphasised that the enemy systematically targeted facilities on which the civilian population’s livelihood depends. In particular, russia has targeted enterprises providing citizens with heating, gas, and water supply.

‘Damage to a single such infrastructure hub can disrupt the functioning of all systems connected to it. This is precisely the enemy’s logic: critical infrastructure is used as a lever to undermine societal resilience, basic living conditions, the sense of security, and the civilian population’s ability to endure a protracted war,’ noted Yevheniy Khmara.

According to the SSU’s Acting Head, russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure should be viewed as a systematic policy of terror against the Ukrainian people.

‘These strikes have not paralysed the Ukrainian army or halted frontline logistics. Their obvious consequence is different – the creation of humanitarian pressure on the civilian population, especially during winter,’ said SSU Chief Yevheniy Khmara in closing his remarks.