UPDATED: Russian attacks on Ukraine infrastructure are war crimes – EU’s von der Leyen

BRUSSELS, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Russia’s missile and drone attacks on power stations and other infrastructure in Ukraine are “acts of pure terror” that amount to war crimes, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

“Yesterday we saw again Russia’s targeted attacks against civilian infrastructure. This is marking another chapter in an already very cruel war. The international order is very clear. These are war crimes,” von der Leyen said in a speech to lawmakers in the European Parliament.

“Targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure with the clear aim to cut off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with the winter coming, these are acts of pure terror and we have to call it as such.”

A scheme used in Spain and Portugal to cap the price of gas used to generate electricity is worth considering for implementation across the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

“It really merits to be considered at EU level. There are still questions to be answered but I want to leave no stone unturned,” von der Leyen told a meeting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett, Marine Strauss)