OGP: prosecutors recorded 316 cases of war-related sexual violence

Since the beginning of the full-scale military aggression of the Russian Federation, Ukrainian prosecutors have recorded 316 cases of sexual violence related to the conflict, in particular, among the victims – 200 women, 114 men and 15 minors (14 girls and 1 boy). This was announced by the Prosecutor General’s Office in response to an information request by the human rights organization ZMINA.

As of the beginning of September, in Ukraine, five Russian servicemen were sentenced in absentia to imprisonment for rape or sexual violence: three were sentenced to 12 years, two to 10 years, and 11 years, respectively, one sentence as of the beginning of September 2024 has not yet entered into force . Convicted Russian soldiers were declared wanted.

The Prosecutor General’s Office reported that as of the beginning of September 2024, specialized groups of law enforcement officers discovered facts of sexual violence in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions. Based on the collected testimonies and evidence, 49 Russian servicemen were informed of the suspicion.

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So far, prosecutors have sent 21 indictments to court against 30 suspects in war-related sexual violence. The trial in all criminal proceedings referred to the court with indictments is conducted in the absence of the accused – in absentia.

The position of prosecutors regarding the absentee conviction of servicemen of the armed forces of the Russian Federation in national courts is such that, first of all, they take into account the opinion of the victims – if they focus on national justice, then the prosecutor or investigator starts a pre-trial investigation.
This is also done in order to record a crime and collect evidence with the possibility of their further use in international courts.

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As of 2023, the Prosecutor General’s Office recorded 235 cases of sexual violence. The age of the victims ranges from 4 to 82 years. The largest number of cases of sexual violence related to the conflict was recorded in the Kherson region – 72 cases are known,” the ombudsman noted.