GENEVA, September 18 — The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented widespread sexual violence committed by Russian forces against civilians and prisoners of war, according to a report released by the mission on Monday, October 30, 2023. The findings, published by the HRMMU under the mandate of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, cover the period from February 24, 2022 — the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion — through mid-2023.
The report states that Russian soldiers committed sexual violence, including rape, against women, men and children, with victims ranging in age from 4 to 82.
A pattern across regions and detention sites
The documented cases span areas under Russian control, including the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The report also records sexual violence against Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russian detention facilities. Most victims were women and girls, but men and boys were also targeted, particularly in detention settings.
The mission notes that the actual number of cases is likely much higher than those documented, as many victims are unable to report due to fear of reprisals, stigma, or lack of access to monitoring areas. The HRMMU was established in 2014 and is mandated by the OHCHR to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Ukraine.
Its findings follow previous UN work on abuses during the conflict, including a March 2023 report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which also documented sexual violence.
Accountability and the wider picture
The report calls on Russia to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable, and on the international community to support survivors. The Ukrainian government has welcomed the report and called for international accountability. Russia has denied allegations of sexual violence and has not responded to the specific findings.
The report forms part of ongoing efforts by the UN and other international bodies to document war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict. The HRMMU continues to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Ukraine.
What to watch next is whether the findings translate into formal accountability mechanisms, and whether the mission’s continued monitoring yields further documentation as access permits.
