UN Reports Shocking Sexual Violence Against Ukrainian POWs

- Over half of the Ukrainian prisoners of war whom the UN mission in Ukraine interviewed reported being victims of sexual violence during their internment, Attorney General Andrij Kostin stated in New York.

Andrij Kostin took part in a UN summit titled "Combatting Sexual Violence against Men and Boys to Maintain International Peace and Security," according to Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.

Kostin observed that the war initiated by Russia showcases "an unusual picture of an armed conflict," with the Ukrainian Attorney General noting that Russian forces have perpetrated acts of violence against both women and men.

“This serves as undeniable evidence that such acts of violence are a facet of Russia's aggressive policy, under which gender, age, or victim status does not offer protection. Russians are perpetrating these crimes against anyone they identify as Ukrainian,” Kostin emphasized.

- Over half of the Ukrainian prisoners of war consulted by the UN mission in Ukraine described being subjected to sexual violence, including attempts of rape, threats of rape, castration, beatings, or electric shocks to the genitals, Kostin revealed.

The Attorney General also highlighted the necessity of holding Russia accountable for crimes of aggression and genocide, alongside 126,000 other war crimes committed in Ukraine since 2022.

The UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine released its report covering December 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024, in March.