May 29
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An assessment of Russia’s crimes and options for accountability.
As Ukraine seeks to prosecute over 140,000 war crimes cases, the international legal landscape and its accountability mechanisms directly impact efforts to deliver justice to victims/survivors of conflict. A recent report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine found that sexual violence has been used systematically by Russian authorities as a method of torture in detention settings. The report underscores that conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) affects civilians and prisoners of war alike and constitutes a significant proportion of war crimes being prosecuted in Ukraine. However, international mechanisms critical to upholding accountability have come under attack. US President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order in February 2025 authorizing sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), including its Chief Prosecutor. Concurrent freezes on foreign aid are also disrupting accountability and justice initiatives in Ukraine and beyond. What does this mean for victims of sexual violence and broader efforts to pursue accountability? This event examines: • The gendered impact of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine. • Practical options and creative pathways for sustaining transitional justice efforts in a constrained and shifting geopolitical environment. • The growing threats to international justice, and the implications for peace and accountability in Ukraine. This event is organised in partnership with All Survivors Project, with project funding from Global Affairs Canada and the Peace and Human Rights Division, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Speakers Event chaired by Vitaly Shevchenko. Russia Editor, BBC Monitoring Kateryna Busol Former Academy Associate, Russia and Eurasia Programme Khrystyna Kit Founder and Chairwoman, Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association (JurFem) Oleksiy Sivak Coordinator, Network of Ukrainian Men Who Survived Captivity and Torture (Alumni)
The recording for the event is available.
At the Chatham House event yesterday, I learned that Ukraine holds the record for the most amount of men reporting conflict related sexual violence in the world.
It means--
Men feel they are able to report it, which is a good thing
There is a lot of it, which is horrifying.
I know why: because sexual violence is used in places of detention as an interrogation tactic as well as dehumanization. It is systematic. Men are more frequently captured as POWs although women POWs (and civilians) experience CRSV as well.
It's good they feel they are able to report it, and there is some support, but it's still inadequate to the monumental task of helping those who have gone through this. And society at large should deal with the stigma because these survivors don't need more obstacles, they deserve to be restored to full health and they deserve justice.
За зґвалтування викраденого чоловіка в Херсонському ІТТ заочно судитимуть російського військового Мова йде про Романа Попова: Онлайн видання
The suspect’s name is not mentioned, but the UCP website published a suspicion on Roman Popov , the details of which coincide with the details in the report. The Russian’s profile can also be found on the Myrotvorets website. In August 2022, investigators say, Popov, along with other Russian servicemen, abducted a local resident on the streets of Kherson. Like many abductees, he was taken to a seized temporary detention center, where he spent 16 days. The man was only able to leave after his wife paid 100,000 hryvnias. The civilian was held “in unsanitary conditions that were exhausting for the human body and unsuitable for a long stay,” was not allowed to eat or drink properly, and was constantly threatened. “The victim was forced to sleep on the floor or could not sleep at all because of the screams of men and women who were tortured every night,” the text of the suspicion states. Investigators say that during the detention, Popov personally punched the victim in the torso at least 10 times. The kidnapped person was interrogated throughout the entire detention: first, he was beaten with his hands to get the necessary answers, then he was tortured with electric shocks, and on the tenth day, he was raped. During the sexual assault, Popov was accompanied by other Russian servicemen, whose identities investigators have yet to identify. For example, it was the unidentified Russian serviceman who kicked the victim 10 times in the buttocks to insert a ballpoint pen. If the court finds Popov guilty, he could receive from 8 to 12 years.
Сексуальне насильство, повʼязане з конфліктом стосується не лише жінок. Так, на сьогодні до проєкту з проміжних репарацій звернулося більше
Conflict-related sexual violence: More men than women have now applied to the Urgent Interim Reparations for Victims project
Conflict-related sexual violence does not only affect women. To date, more men than women have applied to the interim reparations project. This was announced by Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, during a press conference at the Media Center Ukraine. "So far, more men than women have applied to the interim reparations project. And compensation has been paid to more men than women. Therefore, Ukraine is breaking the perception that this (conflict-related sexual violence – ed.) is exclusively violence that affects women," noted Kateryna Levchenko.
За даними Офісу Генерального прокурора, на сьогодні відомо про 322 потерпілих, які зголосилися брати участь в кримінальних провадженнях, і з
The number of victims of conflict-related sexual violence may be 10 times higher than official statistics
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, there are currently 322 victims who have volunteered to participate in criminal proceedings and report conflict-related sexual violence committed against them. Currently, this is 207 women and 115 men. However, the actual number of victims may be 10 times higher.
This was discussed during a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine.
According to Kateryna Levchenko, the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, statistics may not fully reflect the real number of victims of conflict-related sexual violence.
"Indeed, the statistics that we have, law enforcement agencies, are the tip of the iceberg. The same is true of statistics from social services and public organizations. And we understand that behind each identified case there are at least 10 that no one knows about, that are kept quiet about," added Kateryna Levchenko.
Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/uk/novini
what
The UNFPA, citing psychologists working with victims, disclosed that Russian forces have sent videos of male Ukrainian detainees being raped to their families, either to blackmail them or to inflict further humiliation.
The United Nations has reported Ukrainian men suffering sexual torture while held in Russian detention centres, highlighting grave abuse.
of course-- it's a common pattern in the russian 'justice' system