WorldPosted at: Sep 19 2026 4:48PM


Russia responsible for majority of sexual violence cases in Ukraine: UN report

Geneva, Sep 19 (UNI) Russian authorities were responsible for the vast majority of documented cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, while a smaller number of violations were attributed to Ukrainian authorities, a UN Human Rights Office report said.
The report documented 1,004 cases of conflict-related sexual violence between February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale military operation in Ukraine, and the end of July 2026.
Of the documented cases, 89 per cent were attributed to Russian authorities, including members of the armed forces, prison service and national security service, while the remaining 11 per cent were attributed to Ukrainian authorities.
The 20-page report, titled Sexual Violence in the Context of the Russian Federation Full-Scale Armed Attack against Ukraine, is based on confidential interviews with hundreds of victims and survivors, as well as court documents, official records and other relevant material.
"I am deeply alarmed by the prevalence of these abhorrent acts documented in our report, and fear that they are almost certainly continuing amid the unceasing violence we are witnessing every day in Ukraine," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.
The report said most victims were men, particularly those held in detention, while women and children were also affected, mainly in areas of Ukraine under Russian occupation.
The documented violations included rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks and beatings to the genitals, as well as other forms of degrading sexual treatment.
The youngest documented rape survivor was a four-year-old girl and the oldest was an 82-year-old woman, with both cases attributed to Russian authorities, the report said.
Among male survivors, the report documented repeated use of electric shocks to the genitals using a Soviet-era military field telephone known as a "tapik".
According to the report, 155 Ukrainian prisoners of war and retained medical personnel, or 27 per cent of those in the relevant group, said they had been subjected to electric shocks to the genitals using a "tapik" or taser at least once.
The report also documented individual accounts of prisoners and civilians who said they had been subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence involving objects and threats.
One Ukrainian prisoner of war said he was raped with a baton, while another reported being forcibly penetrated with cell-door keys. A Ukrainian civilian reported being raped with the handle of a shovel.
The report also documented cases in which sexual violence was allegedly used to intimidate or coerce victims or their families.
One woman said a Russian soldier who moved into her home in Zaporizhzhia raped her repeatedly over a month and promised that her detained husband would be treated better in return.
Another woman in Kherson said a Russian soldier raped her repeatedly and threatened her with gang rape.
In the Kyiv region, a woman said two Russian soldiers broke into her family home in 2022, shot and killed her husband and then gang-raped her, threatening to shoot her in front of her four-year-old son if she resisted.
The UN report also documented violations attributed to Ukrainian authorities against Russian and third-country national prisoners of war. Almost half of those cases involved threats of sexual violence.
Other documented violations included forced nudity, electric shocks and beatings to the genitals, electric shocks and beatings to the body while victims were naked, sexually degrading treatment, two sexual assaults and two attempted rapes.
"Sexual violence is a grave feature of the full-scale armed attack against Ukraine. It must stop immediately, irrespective of the perpetrators," Türk said.
"Given the high prevalence of cases attributed to its forces, however, the Russian Federation in particular must take concrete and discernible steps to protect civilians and prisoners of war from all forms of torture, including sexual violence," he said.
Türk called on both Russia and Ukraine to investigate all credible allegations of sexual violence promptly, thoroughly and impartially and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice regardless of their rank or affiliation.
He also renewed his call on Russia to immediately, completely and unconditionally cease the use of force against Ukraine and withdraw its military forces from Ukrainian territory, in line with the UN Charter and international law.UNI AAB
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