The UN Human Rights Office has documented 1,004 cases of conflict-related sexual violence during the war in Ukraine, describing a pattern in which abuse was used to torture, intimidate and coerce civilians and prisoners of war. Its investigation attributes 89 percent, or 892 cases, to Russian authorities and says the violence occurred throughout periods of captivity.
The 20-page report, released on 18 September 2026, is titled 'Sexual Violence in the Context of the Russian Federation Full-Scale Armed Attack against Ukraine'. It covers violations committed from 24 February 2022 through the end of July 2026. The findings draw on confidential interviews with hundreds of victims and survivors, along with court documents, official records and other relevant materials.
The UN Human Rights Office attributed the cases involving Russian authorities to members of the armed forces, prison service and national security service. It attributed 11 percent of the documented cases to Ukrainian authorities, mainly officers of the SBU security service, soldiers and prison staff. The UN monitoring mission that carried out the investigation worked only in territory controlled by Ukraine. The report therefore does not establish how many additional cases may have occurred in Russian-occupied territory beyond its reach.
Men made up most of the documented victims. The report recorded 725 male victims in cases attributed to Russian forces, particularly in detention facilities. Women and children were also among those affected, mainly in Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation. Documented victims ranged from a four-year-old girl to an 82-year-old woman.
The report says Russian forces committed sexual violence against Ukrainian prisoners of war and detained civilians during capture, transfer, interrogation and detention. Recorded violations included gang rape, rape, genital mutilation, forced stripping and electric shocks to men’s genitals.
Investigators documented electric shocks to the genitals using a Soviet-era field telephone, known as a ‘tapik’, or a taser in 155 cases. These cases represented at least 27 percent of Ukrainian prisoners of war and retained medical personnel. In 246 cases, victims were beaten on the genitals. Investigators also documented forced stripping in 372 cases.
Russian and third-country prisoners of war also described sexual violence in 10 official detention facilities and 55 unofficial or transit locations. Among violations attributed to Ukrainian authorities against Russian and third-country national prisoners of war, almost half involved threats of sexual violence. In cases attributed to Russian forces involving male victims, 38 involved threats of violence alone. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, or OHCHR, did not document any cases of rape of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian forces.
The report concludes that Russia has failed to prevent, investigate or prosecute sexual violence committed by its personnel. It says Russian authorities have also not engaged with OHCHR requests for information.
Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights Chief, renewed his call for the Russian Federation to immediately, completely, and unconditionally cease its use of force. The report places sexual violence alongside other forms of abuse recorded in the conflict, while setting out the limits of an investigation conducted from Ukrainian-controlled territory and based on verified cases.
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