New UN Evidence: Russian Military Tortured Civilians in Ukraine

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has informed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva about newly documented crimes committed by Russians in Ukraine, including torture, sexual, and gender-based violence.

This is reported by the official UN website. 

According to the report, the chairman of the commission, Erik Møse, presented "horrific" evidence of "violence against personal integrity" in the regions of Ukraine that have long been under Russian occupation, namely Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Specifically, in the Kherson region, "Russian soldiers raped and sexually assaulted women ranging from 19 to 83 years of age. Often, they held family members in adjacent rooms, forcing them to hear the crimes taking place."

The evidence collected by the UN commission indicates that the use of torture by Russian armed forces in territories controlled by them in Ukraine was widespread and systematic.

Commissioners have noted that they will continue to investigate cases related to the "likely" transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Russia.

Mose also emphasized that the Commission is conducting "deeper investigations" into illegal actions and attacks involving the use of explosive weapons, attacks on civilian populations, and attacks on energy infrastructure.

Recall that in July of this year, it became known that the Kremlin had established an entire network of camps throughout Russia and occupied territories, where thousands of Ukrainian civilians and servicemen are subjected to regular torture and forced labor. In particular, captives are involved in digging trenches and graves for Russian servicemen.

In early September, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, stated that according to recent data, approximately 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war had experienced torture, rape, threats of sexual violence, and other forms of brutal treatment.

"On all liberated territories, we find evidence of these horrors. In the Kherson region alone, 11 torture chambers have been documented. In the Kharkiv region, nearly 100 cases of torture are under investigation, involving over 700 victims. We see a similar picture in other regions that have been de-occupied," said the Prosecutor General.

At the same time, the UN investigative commission has not yet been able to classify the actions of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory as genocide, emphasizing that commissioners currently "do not have sufficient evidence" to meet the legal requirements of the Genocide Convention.