155 cases of sexual violence by invaders registered in Ukraine
Law enforcement officers have already registered 155 cases of sexual violence committed by the Russian military, most of them – in the liberated territories of Kherson and Kyiv regions.
This was discussed during a meeting at the Prosecutor General's Office with the participation of the National Police investigation department leadership, Ukrinform reports with reference to PGO.
"Kherson region and Kyiv region are leading in the number of victims' testimonies. In total, prosecutors and investigators recorded 155 cases of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV)," reads the press release.
Iryna Didenko, the head of the specialized department of the Prosecutor General's Office, noted that the total number of cases of sexual violence committed by the Russian military is much higher.
"These numbers reflect only the number of facts when victims are ready to testify now," she explained.
The meeting participants identified two priorities. The first is the protection of CRSV victims, their privacy and other needs. The second is the quality and efficiency of documentation and investigation into such crimes in compliance with international standards and international protocol.
"We plan to submit files of duly recorded crimes of the Russian military to international courts, in particular to the International Criminal Court. Therefore, procedures are important and must meet the highest standards. Transparency and openness are among the values that Ukrainians are fighting for," Didenko emphasized.
The meeting participants also discussed the prospect of creating a unified system of information exchange between all institutions involved in the identification of Russian military personnel, determining their deployment locations, etc. This will make it possible to move from consideration of individual criminal proceedings to a more comprehensive approach. Which, in turn, will help trace the entire chain of command and prove that sexual violence is systemic and used by the Russian army as a weapon of war.
As reported, as of December, the mobile group recorded 64 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Kherson region.
