Prosecutors recorded 316 cases of war-related sexual violence, 5 occupiers have already been sentenced - PGO
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian prosecutors have recorded 316 cases of war-related sexual violence, including 200 women, 114 men, and 15 minors (14 girls and 1 boy).
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office in response to an information request from ZMINA.
Three occupiers were sentenced to 12 years for crimes of conflict-related sexual violence (hereinafter referred to as CRSV), two to 10 years and 11 years respectively, and 1 sentence against the offender has not yet entered into force as of early September 2024. The convicted Russian servicemen were put on the wanted list.
As of the beginning of September 2024, specialized law enforcement teams revealed facts of sexual violence in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions. Based on the collected testimonies and evidence, 49 Russian servicemen were notified of suspicion.
So far, prosecutors have submitted 21 indictments against 30 suspects of war-related sexual violence. All criminal proceedings submitted to court with indictments are heard in absentia, in absentia, in the absence of the accused. Ukrainian courts consider criminal proceedings based on the location of the crimes, with 16 cases being heard:
- 2 on the territory of Donetsk,
- 2 in Zaporizhzhia,
- 4 Kyiv,
- 5 Kherson,
- 2 in Kharkiv,
- 1 in Mykolaiv region.
The position of prosecutors regarding the conviction in absentia of members of the Russian armed forces in national courts is that they primarily take into account the opinion of the victims. If the survivor is focused on national justice, the prosecutor or investigator initiates a pre-trial investigation. This is also done in order to record the crime and collect evidence that can be used in international courts. After all, one of the priorities is to bring Russia's top leadership to justice.
"Depending on the stage of the criminal proceedings, the desire of the victim, witness or their legal representative, security measures are applied to victims and witnesses. In particular, hearings are held in closed sessions throughout the proceedings. In this case, victims and witnesses who are their close relatives testify to the court under changed personal data," the Prosecutor General's Office said.
