Ukraine's top diplomat calls Russia's winter grid strikes genocide

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha went further than Kyiv usually does on Saturday, saying Russia's strikes on the country's power system amount to an orchestrated campaign to make civilian life unbearable for the Ukrainian nation — conduct he argues meets the definition of genocide.

The accusation landed after another overnight volley. Sybiha said Russia fired ballistic missiles and drones at critical energy infrastructure, in a post on X.

In his words, Moscow is deliberately trying to strip millions of Ukrainians of electricity, heating and water just as winter closes in. He framed the timing as the point: the cold, not just the blast, is the weapon.

The foreign minister used the moment to press Ukraine's allies for more air defense systems and interceptors, along with faster handovers of critical military aid. His message was blunt — the deliveries need to arrive before the temperatures drop, not after.

Kyiv has spent successive winters bracing for strikes on its grid, and Saturday's appeal shows the same fear is back on the agenda. Whether allies speed up shipments now becomes the next test.

Russia has not responded to the genocide claim.