Camilla Jessen
Foreign minister calls ICRC statement ‘a disgrace’.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Jan. 15 sharply criticized the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) after it commented on recent strikes against energy infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia.
In a post on X, the ICRC said that attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia had “left millions of people with little or no electricity, water, and heating amid freezing temperatures in Kyiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Belgorod, and other areas.”
Sybiha responded publicly, writing that “this statement is a disgrace,” and accusing the organization of drawing “false moral equivalence between an aggressor and a country defending itself.”
Ukraine rejects comparison
According to Sybiha, Ukraine’s actions are conducted within international humanitarian law and its right to self-defense, while Russia’s campaign deliberately targets civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“No surprise the ICRC’s reputation is in crisis as a result of statements like this, which whitewash Russian crimes and further undermine trust in the organization,” he said.
Sybiha also criticized the ICRC for what he described as its failure to secure systematic access to Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians illegally detained by Russia.
He added that the head of the ICRC delegation to Ukraine would be summoned to the Foreign Ministry to explain the statement.
Anger amid winter attacks
“I also invite the people who wrote and authorized this statement to leave their warm offices, come to Ukraine, and spend a day in a freezing home. Perhaps they will regain their sense of reality,” Sybiha wrote.
His remarks came as Russia intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. According to Ukrainian authorities, around 70% of Kyiv was left without power on Jan. 13, with residents also facing shortages of heating and water in subzero temperatures.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 14 declared a state of emergency in the energy sector, focusing on Kyiv and other heavily affected regions.
Russia’s claims and responses
Ukraine’s Security Service said on Jan. 15 that Russia’s ongoing strikes against energy infrastructure amount to “crimes against humanity.”
Russian officials, meanwhile, have accused Ukraine of similar actions. Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Ukrainian attacks in recent months damaged local energy facilities, temporarily cutting electricity to tens of thousands of residents.
On Jan. 13, Gladkov urged residents near the Ukrainian border to prepare for possible temporary relocation as outages continued.
Sources: Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, ICRC statements
