Current:Home > InvestRussians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds -WealthRoots Academy
Russians committing rape, 'widespread' torture against Ukrainians, UN report finds
Rekubit View
Date:2025-04-08 01:01:05
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! (6664)
Related
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Taylor Swift's Net Worth Revealed After Becoming a Billionaire
- YouTuber Jack Doherty Crashes $200,000 Sports Car While Livestreaming
- Don Francisco gushes over Marcello Hernández's 'SNL' spoof of his variety show
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Minnesota man arrested after allegedly threatening to ‘shoot up’ synagogue
- Bruins free-agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman signs 8-year, $66 million deal
- TikToker Taylor Rousseau Grigg Dead at Age 25
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Madonna’s Brother Christopher Ciccone Dead at 63
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Dave Hobson, Ohio congressman who backed D-Day museum, has died at 87
- The Garth Brooks news is a big disappointment − and an important reminder
- Coach Outlet’s New Designer Fall Styles Include a $398 Handbag for $99 & More Under $150 Luxury Finds
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Opinion: Dak Prescott comes up clutch, rescues Cowboys with late heroics vs. Steelers
- Erin Foster’s Dad David Foster Has Priceless to Reaction to Her Show Nobody Wants This
- Jeep Wrangler ditches manual windows, marking the end of an era for automakers
Recommendation
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Here's When Taylor Swift Will Reunite With Travis Kelce After Missing His Birthday
'Joker: Folie à Deux' underwhelms at the box office, receives weak audience scores
Chicago mayor names new school board after entire panel resigns amid a fight over district control
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
Week 6 college football grades: Temple's tough turnover, Vanderbilt celebration lead way
NASA, SpaceX delay launch to study Jupiter’s moon Europa as Hurricane Milton approaches
Woman arrested after pregnant woman shot, killed outside Pennsylvania Wawa