GENEVA: The United Nations on Thursday called on Russia to stop its attacks on Ukraine’s energy sites, which have plunged entire cities into darkness in the coldest winter of the four-year war.

“Last night, the Russian Federation again carried out a large-scale attack targeting energy infrastructure across Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of civilians woke up without electricity and heating,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.

“The targeting of civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international humanitarian law. I call upon the Russian Federation to immediately cease these attacks.”