18.9.2026
Russian forces committed widespread sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war in Ukraine, including gang rape and electric shocks to the genitals, while Ukrainian authorities were also responsible for a smaller number of violations, the UN human rights office said in a report on Friday.
The report documented 1,004 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence between February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and July 2026.
Of those cases, 89% were attributed to the Russian side, including members of the armed forces, prison service and security agencies, while 11% were linked to Ukraine, including members of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Russia’s permanent diplomatic mission in Geneva declined to comment on the report.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement it welcomed the publication of the report, which it said showed the scale of the human rights violations perpetrated by Russia and the measures being taken by Ukraine to prevent such violence and compensate victims.
The statement did not comment directly on the findings of incidents of abuse by Ukrainian forces.
The report cautioned that the findings were not comprehensive because conflict-related sexual violence remains significantly under-reported.
It said Russia’s refusal to grant the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights access to occupied Ukrainian territory, prisoners of war and civilian detainees meant the figures likely underestimate the true scale of the violations.
In occupied areas of Ukraine and within Russia, Russian authorities carried out sexual violence against Ukrainian prisoners of war and detained civilians at all stages of captivity, including during capture, transfer, interrogation and detention, the report said.
Violations included gang rape, rape, genital mutilation and the use of electric shocks on men’s genitals with a Soviet-era field telephone known as a “tapik”. The findings were based on interviews with victims of sexual violence committed by both sides. Reuters
Ukrainian women protesting against sexual violence.