Putin has held the good forces of the world back, with his nuclear weapons. He ordered his troops to rape women. How about girls. Any nation that backs Putin – is guilty of war crimes. Patriarch Kirill – i a traitor to God.
John Presco
Russian military commanders ordered soldiers to commit sexual violence in Ukraine, war crimes investigator says
Story by tporter@businessinsider.com (Tom Porter) • 1h ago
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Demonstrators outside Downing Street protesting against war atrocities targeting civilians, including killings and rape, by Russian military in Ukraine, on April 10, 2022. Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)© Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
- Russian commanders are aware of sexual violence committed by soldiers, says war crimes investigator.
- In some case they even condoned it or ordered it, lawyer Wayne Jordash told Reuters.
- The UN has documented dozens of alleged cases of rape by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Russian commanders knew about sexual violence committed by their personnel in Ukraine and in some cases condoned or even ordered it, a war crimes investigator has said.
Wayne Jordash, a British lawyer who is assisting investigators as they gather evidence of atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, told Reuters that some of the sexual violence committed “speaks to planning on a more systematic level.”
Jordash declined to provide specific names of those he believed to be involved, reported Reuters, and said that the extent of sexual violence was unknown at this stage because of ongoing investigations in parts of northeastern and south Ukraine recently retaken by Ukrainian forces.
1 of 7 Photos in Gallery©OLEKSANDR GIMANOV/AFP via Getty Images
Video: Kherson resident unearths Ukrainian flag she buried under paving stones as city celebrates liberation
- Over eight months since Russian forces seized it, Ukrainians celebrate the recapture of Kherson.
- Photos show people hugging loved ones, waving the blue-and-yellow flags, and drinking wine.
- Zelenskyy warned that there is still no power in the city, but that did not dampen jubilations.
On March 2, 2022, the Ukrainian city of Kherson fell to Russian forces. Now, over eight months later, Ukrainians have spent their weekend celebrating the Russian troops’ withdrawal from the city.
In an announcement on November 9, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered Russian forces in Kherson to retreat across the Dnieper River, marking one of the most significant setbacks for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
Since the announcement, photos have flooded social media of happy and joyous Ukrainian citizens embracing soldiers and one another and celebrating the provincial capital’s liberation.
In a video the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine posted, one woman in Kherson digs up a Ukrainian flag buried under paving slabs that appears to have been hidden when Putin’s troops seized the city.
She waves the flag defiantly, unwrapping layers of protective plastic.
“Russian invaders want to erase #Ukrainian identity. But it is always in our hearts and souls … and somewhere else! Khersonians show how they managed to save the yellow-blue flag to bring it to the streets of the city on liberation day,” the ministry wrote on Twitter.
—MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) November 13, 2022
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However, the patterns suggest that sexual violence “may be even more frequent” in territories that were occupied for longer periods, he told Reuters.
Related video: Gravitas: Did Ukraine’s soldiers commit a war crime?
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A UN-mandated investigation published last month claimed that Russian forces had committed widespread sexual violence in Ukraine since the invasion began in February, with victims ranging in age from four to 80 years old.
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“Sexual violence has affected victims of all ages. Victims, including children, were sometimes forced to witness the crimes,” the report said.
Reuters said it had interviewed more than 20 people who worked with alleged victims, as well as one victim and the family members of another. According to their accounts there were overlapping similarities, with attacks taking place at gunpoint, with family members forced to watch, and multiple soldiers participating.
US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack said this week that the “systemic” nature of Russian atrocities in Ukraine suggested that they were being condoned by senior figures in the Kremlin.
Jordash, in an interview with Insider earlier this year, said that evidence was emerging that atrocities by Russian forces in Ukraine constituted genocide.
Russia has denied its forces have committed war crimes or crimes against humanity.
However, organizations including the International Criminal Court are investigating allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
Rosamond Press 