UN inquiry says Russian strikes in Ukraine were aimed at causing civilian suffering
The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine says Russia committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by deliberately attacking Ukraine's energy grid, leaving millions without power and heat in winter. It says the strikes were carried out with intent, as part of a policy to cause civilian suffering, and found evidence Russia recruited men from 29 countries 'through deception or coercion'.
Left 0 · Centre-left 5 · Centre 0 · Centre-right 0 · Right 0
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
War crimes by design: 'Civilian Suffering Was Goal of Russian Strikes' (New York Times); 'crimes against humanity' (CNN, Independent).
Centre outlets
No least-biased (centre) outlet in our sample covered it.
Right-leaning outlets
No right-rated outlet in our sample covered the UN findings in the last 48h.
Context
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Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 3
- CNN
UN panel: Russia is committing crimes against humanity by targeting civilians in Ukraine - New York Times
Civilian Suffering Was Goal of Russian Strikes in Ukraine, U.N. Panel Says (paywalled or blocks bots) - Washington Post
Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine by attacking its energy grid, UN-backed inquiry says
Centre 0
No centre coverage found — blindspot
Right 0
No right coverage found — blindspot
Showing 3 from left of 5 rated outlets (L 5 / C 0 / R 0). More coverage
Video
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Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
The paradox: A finding about deliberate civilian harm draws little cross-spectrum attention this week.
A question to hold: Shared question: what would hold commanders accountable for strikes on energy infrastructure?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (5 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jazeera | Centre-left | Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source |
| CNN | Centre-left | No ownership data found |
| New York Times | Centre-left | The Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| Washington Post | Centre-left | In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos is a frequent target of Trump, who has accused the businessman of using the Postal System as its “ Delivery Boy. ” The newspaper’s executive editor, Martin Baron, said Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, is not involved in its news coverage. source |