Current:Home > ScamsRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -AssetBase
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
View
Date:2025-04-16 13:02:00
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
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Guidelines around a new tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel is issued by Treasury Department
- World's biggest iceberg, A23a, weighs in at almost 1 trillion tons, scientists say, citing new data
- Plane crashes and catches fire on North Carolina highway with 2 people escaping serious injuries
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Vivek Ramaswamy campaigns with former Iowa congressman with a history of racist remarks
- Sacramento councilman charged with illegally hiring workers, wire fraud and blocking federal probe
- Finland reports a rush of migrant crossings hours before the reclosure of 2 border posts with Russia
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Turkish Airlines announces order for 220 additional aircraft from Airbus
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- The Indicator of the Year
- We asked, you answered: How have 'alloparents' come to your rescue?
- Mexico closes melon-packing plant implicated in cantaloupe Salmonella outbreak that killed 8 people
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Guidelines around a new tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel is issued by Treasury Department
- World's biggest iceberg, A23a, weighs in at almost 1 trillion tons, scientists say, citing new data
- Federal Reserve on cusp of what some thought impossible: Defeating inflation without steep recession
Recommendation
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
New York’s Metropolitan Museum will return stolen ancient sculptures to Cambodia and Thailand
The EU struggles to unify around a Gaza cease-fire call but work on peace moves continues
South Korea scrambles jets as China and Russia fly warplanes into its air defense zone
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
New York Giants star partners with tech platform to promote small-business software
The West supports Ukraine against Russia’s aggression. So why is funding its defense in question?
Report: NHL, NHLPA investigating handling of Juuso Valimaki's severe facial injury