Current:Home > FinanceRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -Wealth Evolution Experts
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
View
Date:2025-04-17 01:52:41
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! (61565)
Related
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- New York lawmakers expand fracking ban to include liquid carbon dioxide
- March Madness predictions: 7 Cinderella teams that could bust your NCAA Tournament bracket
- March Madness schedule today: Everything to know about NCAA Tournament games on Thursday
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Kelly Ripa Says Mark Consuelos Kept Her Up All Night—But It's Not What You Think
- 2 hospitalized, 27 safe after rowing club boats capsize off Connecticut
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson Reacts to Public Criticism Over His Marriage to Sam Taylor-Johnson
- Jury finds man guilty of sending 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock
- Vehicle Carbon Pollution Would Be Cut, But More Slowly, Under New Biden Rule
Ranking
- Southern California rocked by series of earthquakes: Is a bigger one brewing?
- Idaho prisoner Skylar Meade at large after accomplice ambushed hospital, shot at Boise PD
- Angela Chao, Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law, was drunk when she drove into pond, police say
- Megan Fox dishes on calling off engagement with 'twin soul' Machine Gun Kelly
- Chief beer officer for Yard House: A side gig that comes with a daily swig.
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson Reacts to Public Criticism Over His Marriage to Sam Taylor-Johnson
- Vermont owner of now-defunct firearms training center is arrested
- The Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady. Here's the impact on your money.
Recommendation
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Washington state man accused of eagle killing spree to sell feathers and body parts on black market
Trump can appeal decision keeping Fani Willis on Georgia 2020 election case, judge says
Conor McGregor bares his backside and his nerves in new ‘Road House’: ‘I'm not an actor’
US Open player compensation rises to a record $65 million, with singles champs getting $3.6 million
Texas wants to arrest immigrants in the country illegally. Why would that be such a major shift?
MacKenzie Scott, billionaire philanthropist, donates $640M to support 361 nonprofits
Dan Schneider Breaks Silence on Docuseries Quiet on Set With Apology