Current:Home > NewsRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -AssetTrainer
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
View
Date:2025-04-16 03:46:13
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! (729)
Related
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Duke, a 'boring' Las Vegas dog returned for napping too much, has new foster home
- KFC expands $5 value menu to include nuggets, drums and more: See what's on the menu
- British energy giant reports violating toxic pollutant limits at Louisiana wood pellet facilities
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Old School: Gaughan’s throwback approach keeps South Point flourishing
- Paige DeSorbo Shares Surprising Update on Filming Summer House With Pregnant Lindsay Hubbard & Carl Radke
- Diaper Bag Essentials Checklist: Here Are the Must-Have Products I Can't Live Without
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Drone video captures aftermath of home explosion that left 2 dead in Bel Air, Maryland
Ranking
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- With over 577,000 signatures verified, Arizona will put abortion rights on the ballot
- The New York Times says it will stop endorsing candidates in New York elections
- Haason Reddick has requested a trade from the Jets after being a camp holdout, AP source says
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Gilmore Girls’ Jared Padalecki Has a Surprising Reaction to Rory's Best Boyfriend Debate
- New metal detectors delay students’ first day of school in one South Florida district
- Wisconsin Capitol Police decline to investigate leak of state Supreme Court abortion order
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can remain on the North Carolina presidential ballot, judge says
Chick-fil-A's Banana Pudding Milkshake is returning for the first time in over a decade
Who is Grant Ellis? What to know about the next 'Bachelor' from Jenn Tran's season
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
Haason Reddick has requested a trade from the Jets after being a camp holdout, AP source says
Vince Vaughn makes rare appearance with children at Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony
Paris put on magnificent Olympic Games that will be hard to top