Lithuania has asked prosecutors at the International Criminal Court to examine Russia’s sustained attacks on Ukraine’s energy system as a possible act of genocide, citing the scale and intent of strikes on civilian infrastructure.
The appeal comes as Ukraine faces a severe energy crisis following months of Russian missile and drone strikes targeting power plants, substations, and heating facilities. The attacks have forced emergency blackouts and electricity rationing across multiple regions during the harshest winter of the full-scale war.
“Intentional effort to physically destroy Ukrainians as a group”
In a statement released on 30 January, Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys had formally appealed to ICC prosecutors over what he described as systematic Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy and civilian facilities.
Budrys said the attacks are “systematic assaults, clearly aimed at leaving Ukrainians without electricity, heating, and water in the middle of winter,” adding that they “cannot be classified in any other way than an intentional effort to physically destroy Ukrainians as a group.”
Vilnius urges new arrest warrants
Lithuania’s top diplomat said Vilnius believes Russia’s actions should be assessed and investigated as genocide. He urged ICC prosecutors to consider issuing new arrest warrants for Russian officials responsible for attacks on energy infrastructure.
Budrys also called for expanding existing ICC arrest warrants to include additional international crimes, including genocide. He said current warrants do not fully reflect the scope of Russia’s actions against Ukraine’s civilian population.
Existing ICC cases focus on war crimes
The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for senior Russian figures. In March 2023, the court issued warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
In 2024, additional warrants targeted Russia’s former defense minister and senior military commanders for directing missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
So far, ICC cases linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine have focused on war crimes and crimes against humanity. Lithuania’s request seeks to broaden that scope to include genocide linked specifically to Russia's systematic campaign against Ukraine’s energy system.
