UN Experts Expose Sexual Torture of Ukrainian Civilians in Russian Custody

According to the report, the torture was highly sexualised, involving rape, threats of rape, forced nudity, and other degrading acts.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, together with a group of independent human rights experts, has submitted a dossier of sexual torture allegations to the Russian Federation, detailing the brutal treatment of 10 Ukrainian civilians detained in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. The cases, originating from Kherson, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, include the experiences of four women and six men subjected to extreme and degrading abuse.

“These separate allegations, capturing the experiences of four women and six men, are truly grisly,” Edwards said. “They represent however only a small snapshot of a wider, well-documented pattern of risks of torture to civilians in occupied areas.”

Sexualised Torture as a Systematic Policy

According to the report, the torture was highly sexualised, involving rape, threats of rape, forced nudity, and other degrading acts. Victims endured repeated electric shocks to the genitals, severe beatings, kicking, blindfolding, simulated drownings, and even mock executions.

Edwards stressed that such methods are not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate, systematic policy of torture pursued by Russian authorities in occupied Ukrainian territories. “It is becoming clearer that the Russian Federation’s deliberate and systematic policy of torture in Ukraine involves sexualised torture and other sexualised cruelty, including against the civilian population,” she said.

Violations of International Law

The allegations, if verified, represent flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and the Convention against Torture, to which Russia is a signatory. Edwards reminded states that “a rudimentary rule of international warfare is that civilians are to be protected,” adding: “Russia appears to have abandoned the international rulebook entirely. It is high time that they were held to account for these unlawful practices and more pressure brought to bear by all States with influence over them.”

The systematic use of torture is seen as a tool to intimidate, instil fear, and control civilians in occupied areas, undermining both community resilience and international efforts to uphold the laws of war.

Wider Pattern of Abuses

Beyond the 10 cases documented in the dossier, experts noted credible evidence of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and deaths in detention due to torture, including through the denial of urgent medical care. Reports suggest that detainees often suffer long-term health consequences due to untreated injuries inflicted during torture.

One of the women referenced in the dossier remains in detention within the Russian Federation. UN experts have issued an urgent appeal for her immediate release, citing risks of ongoing abuse and threats to her life.

Call for Accountability

The UN experts have formally requested that the Russian Government provide detailed information regarding:

• The specific cases of sexual torture and abuse raised in the dossier.

• Measures being taken to prevent such abuses by Russian military forces, intelligence agencies, and detaining authorities.

• Steps to ensure accountability for perpetrators of sexual torture and reparations for survivors.

The experts stressed that impunity for these crimes must end, and that survivors deserve both justice and rehabilitation.

International Pressure Mounts

The dossier adds to a growing body of international evidence documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Independent investigations, including by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, have similarly documented patterns of torture, sexual violence, and mistreatment of civilians.

Edwards urged the international community to intensify diplomatic and legal pressure on Moscow, stressing that states with influence over Russia “must use all available channels to end torture practices and ensure compliance with international law.”

Protecting Civilians in Occupied Ukraine

The experts’ intervention highlights the urgent need to strengthen monitoring and humanitarian access in occupied territories, where civilians remain at high risk. They emphasized that protecting the rights of detainees is not only a legal obligation but also critical to preventing further cycles of violence.

“The Russian Federation is using torture to intimidate, instil fear and control civilians in occupied territory of Ukraine,” Edwards concluded. “The rights to life, dignity and security must be respected, and perpetrators of sexual torture must face justice.”