A Ukrainian lawmaker said that sexual violence is systematic in all areas that were occupied by Russian forces.
As Russian troops retreated from areas around the capital Kyiv, officials, journalists, and aid workers received reports from residents that they were raped by soldiers.
Kira Rudyk, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, said that rape is being used as a weapon of war in Ukraine in order to break spirits, humiliate them, and show them that they are helpless in protecting women, children, and their bodies.
Rudyk said that rape is “happening systematically” in territories occupied by Russia.
The top lawmaker is gathering evidence and testimonials in hope that the victims will receive justice by perpetrating eventually facing up to their crimes.
She said that the first priority is ensuring women are safe and receiving medical attention. Some of the women are now pregnant after being raped by Russian soldiers.
After Russian troops left Bucha, Rudyk visited the city and used a combination of phone records and documentation left behind by the Russian military to get the names of the soldiers and to collect more evidence and information about them.
The accounts of sexual violence and rape are horrifying. The full scale of the atrocities committed is not known, and it may never be.
Under international law, rape as a weapon of war can be considered a war crime, a crime against humanity, and also part of a genocide. Rudyk said Russian forces are using rape as a weapon to terrorize people.
Rudyk does not believe that the Russian soldiers are being ordered to rape Ukrainian women, but they have been granted permission to do whatever they want, which basically allows them to rape women.
Rape kits and emergency contraception are being collected and sent to Ukraine by aid organizations in order to attend to immediate medical needs and help to collect evidence.
The United Nations yesterday announced a set of global guidelines on how to collect evidence from witnesses, victims, and survivors of sexual violence in conflict zones.
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