Current:Home > InvestRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -ProfitLogic
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
View
Date:2025-04-13 15:33:53
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! (73)
Related
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- The Masked Singer Epically Pranks Host Nick Cannon With a Surprise A-List Reveal
- Texas wildfires: Map shows scope of devastation, learn how you can help those impacted
- Virginia judge sets aside guilty verdict against former school superintendent
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- White House, Justice Department unveil new plan to protect personal data from China and Russia
- Oscars producers promise cameos and surprises for Sunday’s (1 hour earlier) show
- Massachusetts debates how long homeless people can stay in shelters
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- It’s not just Elon Musk: ChatGPT-maker OpenAI confronting a mountain of legal challenges
Ranking
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Millie Bobby Brown Goes Makeup-Free and Wears Pimple Patch During Latest Appearance
- These Are the 16 Best Supportive Swimsuits for Big Busts
- Lawyer behind effort to remove Fani Willis from Georgia Trump case testifies before state lawmakers
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- I Shop Fashion for a Living, and These Are the Hidden Gems From ASOS I Predict Will Sell out ASAP
- California’s closely watched House primaries offer preview of battle to control Congress
- Indiana lawmakers in standoff on antisemitism bill following changes sought by critics of Israel
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
After Ohio train derailment, tank cars didn’t need to be blown open to release chemical, NTSB says
Foo Fighters, Chuck D, Fat Joe rally for healthcare transparency in D.C.: 'Wake everybody up'
Super bloom 2024? California wildflower blooms are shaping up to be spectacular.
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Nebraska’s new law limiting abortion and trans healthcare is argued before the state Supreme Court
Evidence of traumatic brain injury in shooter who killed 18 in deadliest shooting in Maine history
Missouri governor offers ‘deepest sympathy’ after reducing former Chiefs assistant’s DWI sentence