Russian troops ‘using rape as a weapon’ as woman forced to have sex at gunpoint

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Human Rights Watch has uncovered details of attacks on civilians, including a woman who was raped at gunpoint by a Russian soldier as the UK’s ambassador to Ukraine said it’s “already clear” this is part of the Russian “arsenal”

Russian troops have used rape as a ‘weapon of war’ against Ukrainian civilians in latest war crimes allegations against Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Today the UK’s ambassador to Ukraine said she was aware of reports of women and girls being raped in front of their families, describing it as a “deliberate act of subjugation’.

Heartbreaking testimony uncovered by human rights groups have ramped up calls for troops to be held accountable for their actions.

Charity Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it had uncovered evidence of “unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence” against Ukrainian civilians, and said these must be investigated as war crimes.

Melinda Simmons, British Ambassador to Ukraine, posted on Twitter: “Rape is a weapon of war. Though we don’t yet know the full extent of its use in Ukraine it’s already clear it was part of (Russian) arsenal.

“Women raped in front of their kids, girls in front of their families, as a deliberate act of subjugation. Rape is a war crime.”

Describing her ordeal, a Ukrainian woman told Human Rights Watch that she was lucky to be alive after repeatedly being raped at gunpoint by a Russian soldier.

The 31-year-old woman, identified as Olha – not her real name – told HRW she was targeted after Russian troops arrived in Malaya Rohan, a village in the Kharkiv region of the country.

Olha, who has a five year old son, was taken into a classroom in the school where she and her family were sheltering by a soldier, who told her he was 20.

Describing her distressing ordeal, she said: “He told me to give him [oral sex].

“The whole time he held the gun near my temple or put it into my face. Twice he shot at the ceiling and said it was to give me more ‘motivation.’”

The solider then proceeded to rape her, she told human rights workers.

Olha continued: “While I was putting on my clothes, the soldier told me that he was Russian, that his name was [name withheld] and that he was 20.

“He said that I reminded him of a girl he went to school with.”

When she refused to get her possessions in order to stay with him in the classroom, he held a knife to her neck and raped her again, Olha said.

He also hit her several times around the face.

Olha, who was able to flee to Kharkiv and seek medical attention now plans to file a report with Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office, HRW said.

Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at the charity, said: “The cases we documented amount to unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians.

“Rape, murder, and other violent acts against people in the Russian forces’ custody should be investigated as war crimes.”

He continued: “Russia has an international legal obligation to impartially investigate alleged war crimes by its soldiers.

“Commanders should recognize that a failure to take action against murder and rape may make them personally responsible for war crimes as a matter of command responsibility.”

A villager in Mala Rohan described a very similar account of a 27-year-old woman with a five year old daughter being raped by a teenage Russian soldier.

The 55-year-old, named Sergei, told The Independent : “The soldier who did it was a young guy, 19 years old. His name was Vladimir. He had been drinking all day before he raped the poor girl.

“He was out of control.”

He said this was happening as there “didn’t seem to be much discipline” among Russian troops.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba today accused Russia of carrying out a deliberate “massacre” in the town of Bucha outside Kyiv and called on the G7 to impose “devastating” new sanctions on Moscow.

“We are still gathering and looking for bodies, but the number has already gone into the hundreds.

“Dead bodies lie on the streets. They killed civilians while staying there and when they were leaving these villages and towns,” his ministry quoted him as saying on Twitter.

Russia has so far not commented publicly on the claims.

Moscow has previously repeatedly denied Ukrainian claims that it has targeted civilians.