UN report finds widespread Russian sexual violence against Ukrainian civilians and POWs

A United Nations report published on September 18, 2026, documents 1,004 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine since February 2022, attributing 89% of violations to Russian forces and 11% to Ukrainian forces. The report details severe abuses, including gang rape and electric shocks, noting that the majority of detained survivors are men. While Ukraine welcomed the report and has taken some preventive steps, Russia declined to comment and continues to restrict UN access to occupied territories.

UN sexual violence documentation

• ▪Danielle Bell, head of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, stated that the majority of sexual violence survivors in the Ukraine war context are men
• ▪The United Nations human rights office report published on September 18, 2026, attributed 89% of the 1,004 documented sexual violence cases to the Russian side and 11% to Ukrainian forces
• ▪A United Nations human rights office report published on September 18, 2026, documented 1,004 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine between February 2022 and July 2026

Russian forces violations

• ▪Documented sexual violence violations by Russian forces in Ukraine included gang rape, rape, genital mutilation, and the use of electric shocks on men's genitals
• ▪The United Nations human rights office report published on September 18, 2026 concluded that Russia failed to take steps to prevent, investigate, or prosecute sexual violence committed by Russian personnel
• ▪Russian authorities carried out sexual violence against Ukrainian prisoners of war and detained civilians at all stages of captivity, including during capture, transfer, interrogation, and detention

Ukrainian forces violations

• ▪Russian and third-country prisoners of war reported experiencing sexual violence in 10 official Ukrainian detention facilities and 55 unofficial or transit locations
• ▪Nearly half of the sexual violence violations documented by the UN human rights office in Ukrainian government-controlled territory, attributed to Ukrainian authorities against Russian and third-country prisoners of war, involved threats of sexual violence and beatings to genitals
• ▪The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights did not document any cases of rape of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian forces

Under-reporting of cases

• ▪United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed deep alarm at the prevalence of the acts of sexual violence documented in the UN report published on September 18, 2026, which verified 1,004 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine since February 2022
• ▪The United Nations human rights office cautioned that the findings of its report published on September 18, 2026, documenting conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine, are not comprehensive because such violence remains significantly under-reported

Access restrictions by Russia

• ▪Russia's refusal to grant the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights access to occupied Ukrainian territory, prisoners of war, and civilian detainees likely caused an underestimation of the true scale of violations
• ▪The United Nations human rights office report published on September 18, 2026 concluded that Russia had not engaged with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights' requests for information regarding sexual violence

Debatable claims

• ▪International monitors must report on human rights violations committed by defending forces
• ▪Ukraine must formally investigate sexual violence committed by its forces