Current:Home > StocksRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -WealthEngine
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
View
Date:2025-04-24 18:32:16
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! (14)
Related
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Louisiana’s struggle with influx of salt water prompts a request for Biden to declare an emergency
- Brooks Robinson, Orioles third baseman with 16 Gold Gloves, has died. He was 86
- David McCallum, NCIS and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. star, dies at age 90
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Death of former NFL WR Mike Williams being investigated for 'unprescribed narcotics'
- Report: Teen driver held in Vegas bicyclist hit-and-run killing case expected ‘slap on the wrist’
- As climate change and high costs plague Alaska’s fisheries, fewer young people take up the trade
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- With Tiger Woods as his caddie, Charlie Woods sinks putt to win Notah Begay golf event
Ranking
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Peloton's Robin Arzón Wants to Help You Journal Your Way to Your Best Life
- Rays coach Jonathan Erlichman is Tampa Bay's dugout Jedi – even if he didn't play baseball
- New York's right-to-shelter policy faces scrutiny amid migrant crisis
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, highlights the horrors of war and the hard work of healing
- September harvest moon: Thursday's full moon will be final supermoon of 2023
- Safe Haven Baby Box used in New Mexico for 1st time as newborn boy dropped off at a fire station
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Kerry Washington Details Decision to Have an Abortion in Her 20s
California deputy caught with 520,000 fentanyl pills has cartel ties, investigators say
Why Patrick Mahomes Felt “Pressure” Having Taylor Swift Cheering on Travis Kelce at NFL Game
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
Matteo Messina Denaro, notorious Sicilian mafia boss captured after 30-year manhunt, dies in hospital prison ward
See Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet’s Paris Fashion Week Date Night
Hunter Biden sues Rudy Giuliani in latest 'laptop' salvo