Key points
- The UN has blacklisted Russian armed and security forces for the first time over sexual violence during the war in Ukraine.
- 310 cases of sexual violence against prisoners of war and civilians have been verified, with the majority of victims being men.
- The inclusion on the list is an important international recognition of Russia’s responsibility, but further steps are needed from the international community.
- Lubinets demands access for the ICRC and UN missions to detention centers, increased pressure on Russia, and punishment for those guilty at all levels.
The United Nations (UN) has for the first time blacklisted Russian armed and security forces as parties responsible for sexual violence during the war. This was reported by the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.
In its annual report, the UN states that it has verified 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence on the territory of Russia and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The victims were prisoners of war and civilians, with the majority of them being men.
It is also stated in the document that the Russian authorities systematically deny access to international monitoring mechanisms of the UN, which significantly complicates the verification of all facts and the establishment of the full scale of the crimes.
– Dmytro Lubinets.
Sexual violence, which is systematically applied by Russian occupation forces, is a serious war crime and a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
The fact of the official inclusion of Russian law enforcement agencies in the UN “blacklist” is an important international recognition of the responsibility of the Russian Federation for these crimes.
– Dmytro Lubinets.
At the same time, the Ombudsman noted that this is not enough without further decisive steps from the international community. Among the demands:
- ensuring immediate and unhindered access for the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN missions to all places of detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians;
- increasing pressure on Russia;
- holding all those guilty accountable – from direct perpetrators to the highest military-political leadership of the Russian Federation.
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