Hundreds of civilians, POWs suffer sexual abuse in Ukraine war: UN
The report says 89% of documented cases were attributed to Russian authorities and urges both sides to investigate and prosecute perpetrators.
- On Friday, the UN Human Rights Office reported that hundreds of civilians and prisoners have faced sexual violence and torture since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with 89 per cent of documented cases attributed to Russian authorities.
- Since February 24, 2022, the UN agency documented 1,004 cases of sexual violence through July this year, finding a pattern of coercion. Investigators attributed 11 per cent of violations to Ukrainian authorities, urging both nations to investigate promptly.
- Most victims were men in detention, though women and children were also targeted. The report details 155 cases involving survivors tasered using a Soviet-era military field telephone known as a "tapik," with the youngest rape survivor documented as four.
- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed deep alarm, stating these "abhorrent acts" are likely continuing amid daily violence. He emphasized both Russia and Ukraine must investigate all credible claims to ensure perpetrators face justice.
- Urging Russia to withdraw military forces in line with "binding international law," Turk renewed calls for withdrawal. Danielle Bell, head of the UN rights office team in Ukraine, told reporters the findings are "just a fraction of the reality" due to restricted access.
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The report covers events from February 2022 to the end of July this year. The United Nations warns that documented cases represent only part of the reality and that most of the victims were men.
The rapporteurs themselves speak of a "part of reality": Uno representatives have collected numerous cases of sexualised violence in Ukraine. A large part is assigned to the Russian occupiers.
UN Human Rights report details shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine | UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine
GENEVA (18 September 2026) – A UN Human Rights Office report published today says sexual violence has been used against civilians and prisoners of war (POWs) in Ukraine in a shocking pattern of torture, intimidation and coercion since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale armed attack on its neighbour more than four years ago. Some 1,004 cases of sexual violence were documented from 24 February 2022, when Russia’s attack on Ukraine be…
Radio-Canada
RTSMore than 1,000 cases of sexual violence have been recorded by the United Nations, which states that it is a torture tool used by both sides.
The UN documents 892 cases of rape at the hands of troops and officials of the invading side, and 112 on the Ukrainian side, since February 2022
Since 2022, when Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of civilians and prisoners have suffered sexual abuse and torture, the United Nations (UN) said on Friday, citing crimes attributed to Moscow's forces.
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