The National Police are currently investigating 54 cases of sexual violence against Ukrainians involving 19 different Russian soldiers, police chief Ivan Vyhivskyi said in an interview with Interfax Ukraine on Oct. 10.
During the occupation of Kherson, a group of Russian soldiers under investigation reportedly detained and brutalized more than 200 Ukrainians in the city, most of whom were civilians.
"They were beaten, tortured, and received limited food and water. The occupiers used sexual torture in the form of electric shocks on the genitals of at least 24 people," Vyhivskyi said.
He added that the police are investigating crimes against civilians that occurred during the temporary occupation of Kyiv Oblast, including rape. Some of those who suffered such sexual violence were reportedly children, including a four-year-old.
The victims mentioned in Vyhivskyi's interview are just a few of those who have been subject to torture or sexual violence at the hands of Russia's military since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
“Russia uses sexual violence as a weapon of war. We record such cases wherever the Russian military is stationed,” Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said in Feb. 2023.
In June, Kostin described Russia's use of sexual violence as "systematic," adding that he viewed it as an "element of genocide."
Sofiya Tryzub-Cook
