Current:Home > InvestRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -SecureWealth Bridge
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
View
Date:2025-04-24 09:41:27
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! (34)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- A growing series of alarms blaring in federal courtrooms, less than a year before 2024 presidential election
- 1 student killed, 1 hospitalized in stabbing at North Carolina high school
- Google is deleting unused accounts this week. Here's how to save your old data
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- When foster care kids are sex trafficked, some states fail to figure it out
- A critically endangered Sumatran rhino named Delilah successfully gives birth in Indonesia
- Iran adds sophisticated warship to Caspian fleet
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Before dying, she made a fund to cancel others' medical debt — nearly $70m worth
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- FAQ: Annual climate negotiations are about to start. Do they matter?
- Man fatally shot in the parking lot of a Target store in the Bronx, police say
- Tesla sues Swedish agency as striking workers stop delivering license plates for its new vehicles
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Finding a place at the Met, this opera sings in a language of its own
- Horoscopes Today, November 25, 2023
- Kevin 'Geordie' Walker, guitarist of English rock band Killing Joke, dies of stroke at 64
Recommendation
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Contract between Puerto Rico’s government and coal-fired plant operator leaves residents in the dark
Texas governor skydives for first time alongside 106-year-old World War II veteran
The Falcons are the NFL's iffiest division leader. They have nothing to apologize for.
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Delaware County’s top prosecutor becomes fifth Democrat to run for Pennsylvania attorney general
2 children among 5 killed in Ohio house fire on Thanksgiving
NFL playoff picture after Week 12: Ravens keep AFC's top seed – but maybe not for long