The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine underscores the importance of the publication of the annual report of the United Nations Secretary-General on “Conflict-Related Sexual Violence” (CRSV), which once again confirms that the Russian Federation systematically employs sexual violence as a tactic of war and a tool of terror against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war.
According to the data of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, in 2024, 209 cases of CRSV were documented in Ukraine. 156 men, 46 women were injured, and, most horrifically, children – 6 girls and 1 boy. The overwhelming majority of these crimes were committed by the Russian armed forces, occupation law enforcement agencies, and penitentiary staff, both in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation.
It is noted that Ukrainian prisoners of war were subjected to sexual violence at all stages of captivity, while civilian detainees suffered from the moment of detention until their confinement in places of deprivation of liberty. In the occupied territories, Russian occupation forces frequently combined sexual violence with killings, in particular after a rape. A significant number of cases remain unaccounted due to the Russian Federation’s refusal to permit access for UN observers, as well as due to trauma, stigma, and fear of reprisals.
At the same time, the report acknowledges that Ukraine continues to ensure access for international monitoring missions, conduct investigations, and take measures to strengthen legislation and prevent CRSV. In 2024, a special unit was established within the the Office of the Prosecutor General to coordinate investigations, the Rome Statute was ratified, and a law on the protection of victims’ rights and interim reparations has been adopted.
The MFA of Ukraine welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s call for the Russian Federation to immediately cease conflict-related sexual violence, investigate all credible reports, and ensure unhindered access for monitoring missions to all places of detention. At the same time, given the scale and systematic nature of sexual violence, Ukraine continues to insist on the inclusion of the armed forces and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in the list of persistent perpetrators of CRSV, as an important tool for preventing new crimes by the Russian Federation and protecting Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories and in the places of detention in Russia.
We call on the international community to increase pressure on Russia, in particular by imposing and expanding sanctions, and to ensure appropriate support for survivors.
Ukraine remains committed to further cooperation with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on CRSV, in particular in the area of strengthening legislative mechanisms, prevention, and the provision of comprehensive assistance to victims of these crimes.