The UN Human Rights Office says it has verified 1,004 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in the war in Ukraine, with 89% attributed to Russian authorities and 11% to Ukrainian authorities.
The cases cover the period from Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022 to July 31, 2026.
The UN says most of the documented victims were men, particularly prisoners of war and people held in detention.
Women and children were also among the victims, with many of those cases documented in areas occupied by Russian forces.
Majority linked to detention
The UN report documents sexual violence including rape, attempted rape, threats of rape, forced nudity and violence against sexual organs.
Many of the cases involving men occurred during detention and interrogation.
The Human Rights Office says Russian authorities were responsible for the overwhelming majority of the verified cases, while it also documented violations committed by Ukrainian personnel.
The figures represent cases the UN has been able to verify rather than an estimate of the total number of victims.
The organisation says the true number is likely to be significantly higher because conflict-related sexual violence is heavily underreported.
Investigators also face restrictions on access to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and to prisoners and other detainees held by Russian authorities.
The report therefore does not attempt to provide a complete count of sexual violence committed during the war.
Its 1,004 cases are those for which the UN says it has gathered sufficient information to verify what happened.
Of those verified cases, approximately nine in ten were attributed to Russian authorities.
Sources
- UN Human Rights Office – report on conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine
- Reuters – UN findings and attribution breakdown
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