'Rape, Genital Mutilation': How Russia Uses Sexual Torture As War Weapon

Moscow: Russia is using sexual violence as a systematic "weapon of war" against Ukrainian prisoners, with survivors -- both soldiers and civilians -- alleging rape and genital mutilation intended to "humiliate and psychologically break" them, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.The report, based on the interviews of survivors and testimony from Ukrainian prosecutors and UN investigators, found that Russian military forces have primarily subjected the male Ukrainian prisoners to sexual torture, in a tactic employed since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.Psychological TortureSerhii Boychuk, a former Ukrainian detainee, told the American publication that Russians took him prisoner in 2022. For the next two years, he was beaten and sexually tortured by Russian guards at the detention center where he was imprisoned."They wanted to psychologically break me," said Boychuk, now 33, as he recounted being raped with bottles and sticks and having a knife pressed against his genitals."They are using sexualised abuse as a weapon of war to humiliate and break the person," said the man who was released in October 2024 as part of a prisoner swap.Another one of Ukraine's former war prisoners also recalled similar experiences of sexualised torture while in Russian prisoner-of-war camps. The survivors' accounts match the findings of Ukrainian intelligence services and the investigators of the United Nations, who have interviewed former prisoners extensively throughout the more than four-year war, with their findings suggesting Russian sexual violence against prisoners of war (PoW) and civilian prisoners has been systematic, often encouraged by senior Russian officials.Target On MenEnemy forces have long used sexual violence to subjugate and terrorise civilian populations during wars. However, in most cases, the targets are predominantly female civilians and children. Russian forces also initially targeted Ukrainian women when they overran towns and villages early in Moscow's full-scale invasion, launched in 2022, according to the UN and interviews conducted by The Wall Street Journal.However, since the war has settled into a slower, attritional contest, several known victims have been male Ukrainian soldiers captured on the battlefield. According to the UN, among the 310 underinvestigation cases of alleged sexual violence by Russian forces during the war, 280 were men, 26 were women, and four were girls.Most victims listed were subjected to torture tactics, including rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks, and beatings to the genitals, the UN said. Some former POWs and civilian detainees told the WSJ that they were forced to stand, crouch, or parade naked. A few claimed their genitals were electrocuted, while others said they were raped, either with objects such as bottles or sticks or by Russian guards.A few former detainees recalled Russian guards told them that they would stop Ukrainians from having children. They threatened to insert building foam into their anal passages, where it would expand and harden. Russia's ClaimThe Russian authorities are yet to comment on the allegations. Moscow has previously denied accusations of sexual abuse, saying they are unsubstantiated and politically motivated.However, Moscow has repeatedly denied access to occupied areas to UN officials investigating conflict-related sexual violence.Real Extent Remains UnknownBut Ukrainian investigators believe the real extent of continuing sexual and other abuses against civilians in the Russian-occupied zones of Ukraine is not fully known, as a fear of retaliation and stigma related to sexual violence prevent victims from reporting abuse."Sexual abuse is the cheapest method of waging war," Anna Sosonska, a Ukrainian prosecutor who has brought charges against Russian soldiers in absentia, told WAJ. Ukraine's national prosecutor's office, where Sosonska works, is overseeing around 400 cases of alleged sexual violence by Russian soldiers against civilians. In at least 148 cases, victims are men.