Current:Home > NewsRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -StockLine
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
View
Date:2025-04-14 09:13:57
Russian forces are allegedly committing continuous war crimes in Ukraine, including rape and "widespread and systematic" torture, the latest Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine found.
The Russians are allegedly torturing people accused of being Ukrainian army informants in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and in one case, the torture was so extreme that it caused a victim's death, the commission said in its latest report to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday.
MORE: It's a kayak with a grenade launcher. And it could be game-changer in Ukraine.
One torture survivor said, "Every time I answered that I didn't know or didn't remember something, they gave me electric shocks," according to the commission.
MORE: Bucha survivors recount 'senseless' horror as they emerge from hiding
"Well into the second year of the armed conflict, people in Ukraine have been continuing to cope with the loss and injury of loved ones, large-scale destruction, suffering and trauma as well as economic hardship that have resulted from it," Eric Mose, chair of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, wrote in the report. "Thousands have been killed and injured, and millions remain internally displaced or out of the country."
In the Kherson region, members of the Russian forces allegedly sexually assaulted women as their relatives were forced to listen from nearby rooms, the commission said. Sexual assault victims ranged in age from 19 to 83.
The commission also found evidence of "unlawful attacks with explosive weapons," including attacks on residential buildings, shops, a restaurant and a medical facility.
Konstantin Yefremov, a senior Russian army lieutenant who fled Russia, told ABC News in February he witnessed his country's troops torture prisoners in Ukraine, including beating and threats to rape.
Yefremov, 33, spent three months as an officer in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region and said he personally witnessed the torture of Ukrainian prisoners during interrogations, including the shooting of one POW in the arms and legs and threats of rape.
The commission stressed "the need for accountability" for Russia's "scale and gravity of violations," as well as "the need for the Ukrainian authorities to expeditiously and thoroughly investigate the few cases of violations by its own forces."
ABC News' Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.
veryGood! (162)
Related
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Why Jessie James Decker and Sister Sydney Sparked Parenting Debate Over Popcorn Cleanup on Airplane
- Taurus Shoppable Horoscope: 11 Birthday Gifts Every Stylish, Stubborn & Sleepy Taurus Will Love
- Kylie Jenner Reveals If She's Open to Having More Kids
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Rita Ora Shares How Husband Taika Waititi Changed Her After “Really Low” Period
- The U.S. ratifies treaty to phase down HFCs, gases trapping 1,000x more heat than CO2
- 20 Must-Have Amazon Products For People Who Are Always Spilling Things
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Here's Why Love Is Blind's Paul and Micah Broke Up Again After Filming
Ranking
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- The U.S. ratifies treaty to phase down HFCs, gases trapping 1,000x more heat than CO2
- Negotiators at a U.N. biodiversity conference reach a historic deal to protect nature
- Biden tightens methane emissions rules, even as the U.S. pushes for more oil drilling
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Singer Moonbin, Member of K-Pop Band ASTRO, Dead at 25
- Sophia Culpo Shares Her Worst Breakup Story One Month After Braxton Berrios Split
- Bebe Rexha Addresses Upsetting Interest in Her Weight Gain
Recommendation
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
The Hope For Slowing Amazon Deforestation
The first day of fall marks the autumn equinox, which is different from a solstice
Bill Hader Confirms Romance With Ali Wong After Months of Speculation
Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
Puerto Rico has lost more than power. The vast majority of people have no clean water
When illness or death leave craft projects unfinished, these strangers step in to help
Climate activists are fuming as Germany turns to coal to replace Russian gas