Current:Home > ContactRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -WealthSphere Pro
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
SafeX Pro Exchange View
Date:2025-04-08 18:03:48
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! (1)
Related
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Montana State University President Waded Cruzado announces retirement
- Saturday Night Live’s Bowen Yang Says One Host Was So Rude Multiple Cast Members Cried
- I’m an Expert SKIMS Shopper and I Predict These Styles Will Sell out This Month
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- New Massachusetts law bars circuses from using elephants, lions, giraffes and other animals
- 'Unbelievably good ending': 89-year-old missing hiker recovered after almost 10 days
- Haason Reddick has requested a trade from the Jets after being a camp holdout, AP source says
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Florida now counts 1 million more registered Republican voters than Democrats
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- 2024 Olympics: USA Gymnastics' Appeal for Jordan Chiles' Medal Rejected
- Injured Ferguson police officer wanted to improve department ‘from the inside,’ ex-supervisor says
- PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day Monday August 12, 2024
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Book Review: ‘Kent State’ a chilling examination of 1970 campus shooting and its ramifications
- Julianne Hough Reveals Real Reason Ryan Seacrest Romance Didn't Work
- Powerball winning numbers for August 12 drawing: Lucky player wins in Pennsylvania
Recommendation
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
Gwen Stefani cancels Atlantic City concert due to unspecified 'injury'
Warts can be stubborn to treat. Here's how to get rid of them.
Blink Fitness gym chain files for bankruptcy, here's what it means for locations around US
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
‘J6 praying grandma’ avoids prison time and gets 6 months home confinement in Capitol riot case
Horoscopes Today, August 11, 2024
Gilmore Girls’ Jared Padalecki Has a Surprising Reaction to Rory's Best Boyfriend Debate