Since the onset of Russia's comprehensive invasion, Ukrainian courts have found 19 Russian soldiers guilty of committing sexual offenses.
Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several hundred cases of sexual violence involving Russian service personnel have been reported across various Ukrainian regions.
According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 124 episodes of conflict-related sexual violence were documented by June 2022, with most alleged perpetrators being Russian or pro-Russian forces in 89 of these cases[1]. By May 2025, the United Nations in Ukraine reported a total of 433 documented cases of conflict-related sexual violence committed against civilians, including men, women, boys, and girls[3].
Ukrainian officials and experts suggest that sexual violence was systematically used by Russian forces and tolerated by the Russian command as a weapon of war[1]. However, clear data on prosecutions or court verdicts against these individuals remains scarce or not publicly disclosed as of the latest reports from 2025.
The statistical information provided refers exclusively to crimes committed against the civilian population. No information regarding CRSV cases committed against servicemen has been made public, with the Office of the Prosecutor General stating that data regarding servicemen will not be made public until the end of martial law.
Regarding court verdicts and prosecutions, Ukrainian authorities have opened investigations into specific cases, such as one in March 2022 involving repeated rape by Russian soldiers after killing a civilian outside Kyiv[1]. However, there are no widely reported convictions or court verdicts against Russian service personnel for these crimes that are publicly accessible in the available sources. The underreporting of cases and difficulties accessing occupied territories complicate accountability efforts[1][3].
As of mid-2025, prosecutors have referred 45 indictments against 58 individuals to court. Twelve defendants were sentenced to 12 years in prison, two received 10- and 11-year sentences respectively, and five were sentenced to 15 years. These incidents involve 136 cases against men, 236 against women, 19 against underage girls, and one against an underage boy. All 12 verdicts were delivered under the procedure of special trial in absentia.
In addition to Kyiv Oblast (60 cases) and Donetsk Oblast (86 cases), CRSV cases have also been recorded in Kharkiv Oblast (46), Zaporizhzhia Oblast (26), Mykolaiv Oblast (11), Luhansk Oblast (9), Chernihiv Oblast (8), Odesa Oblast (6), Sumy Oblast (3), and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (1). A significant increase in cases has been observed in Kherson Oblast, with 116 reported cases of CRSV.
Despite the challenges in obtaining accurate data and securing convictions, the Ukrainian government and international organizations remain committed to investigating and prosecuting these crimes, ensuring justice for the victims and holding the perpetrators accountable for their actions.
[1] UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, "Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine: 1 March – 31 May 2022", 2022, https://www.ohchr.org/documents/countries/ukr/Ukraine_Mission_Report_1_March_-_31_May_2022.pdf
[2] UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, "Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine: 1 June – 30 June 2022", 2022, https://www.ohchr.org/documents/countries/ukr/Ukraine_Mission_Report_1_June_-_30_June_2022.pdf
[3] United Nations in Ukraine, "Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine: 1 January – 31 May 2023", 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/documents/countries/ukr/Ukraine_Report_on_the_Human_Rights_Situation_in_Ukraine_1_January_-_31_May_2023.pdf
- The economy, politics, general news, crime-and-justice, and health sectors have expressed concerns over the increasing conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) cases in Ukraine, particularly the systematic use of such violence by Russian forces during the war-and-conflicts.
- Despite Ukrainian authorities' ongoing efforts to investigate and prosecute CRSV cases, clear data on prosecutions or court verdicts against the perpetrators, mainly Russian service personnel, remains scarce and not widely available, hindering accountability efforts for these grave human rights violations.
- In addition to war-and-conflicts, the prevalence of CRSV cases in various Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv Oblast, Donetsk Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and others, has raised concerns for the health and well-being of the affected civilians, specifically women and girls, and has become a significant issue in international politics and human rights discourse.
