Evidence suggests war crimes in Ukraine: U.N. rights experts

Last updated on September 20th, 2023 at 11:47 am

Ukraine – A team of experts commissioned by the UN’s top human rights body to investigate the rights violations in Ukraine said its initial investigation showed evidence of war crimes in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion nearly seven months ago.

A team of three independent experts visited 27 towns and settlements, as well as graves and detention centres in four regions of the country– Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy. They interviewed witnesses and victims. Based on the evidence gathered by the experts, it has been concluded that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine by Russian forces.

Reportedly, former detainees complained of beatings, electric shocks and forced nudity in Russian detention facilities. Most people said that an unspecified number of Russian forces were found to have committed sexual crimes with victims ranging in age from 4 to 82 years old.

The commission was set up by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) in May to investigate crimes following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February.

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Earlier, Russian soldiers were accused of using sexual violence as a “weapon of war” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion, various human rights groups have noted multiple instances of sexual abuse of girls, women, children and men by Russian soldiers.

Earlier, United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced millions of women to flee for their lives.  Helga Maria Schmid, the secretary-general of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, also said that Ukrainian women have been the victims of rape and sexual violence in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

In April, BBC reported that a Russian soldier in Ukraine raped a 50-year-old woman and killed her husband. In April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that a Russian soldier raped a 31-year-old in the Kharkiv region in Ukraine.