A soldier from Russia’s 1st Motorized Rifle Regiment (Military Unit No. 31135) of the 2nd Motorized Division, 1st Tank Army, Western Military District faces multiple war crimes charges for kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and holding a 21-year-old Ukrainian woman in captivity for over a year, according to Kharkiv authorities.
“This Russian serviceman didn’t just assault a Ukrainian woman during the occupation – he kidnapped her and made her his slave in Russia,” stated Serhii Bolvinov, Head of the Investigative Department of the National Police in Kharkiv Oblast.
“When she refused his advances, he began threatening her. He used his weapon to intimidate her, threatened to kill her family, and ultimately dragged her to an empty house where he sexually assaulted her, ordering her to tell no one.”
The nightmare escalated on 13 June 2022, when the soldier, accompanied by two armed accomplices with call signs “Ibrahim” and “Maga,” arrived at the victim’s home in the Izium district. They forced her to pack her belongings, threatening to execute her entire family if they resisted. The group then transported her through the Verigovka border crossing in Russia’s Valuyki district to Belgorod.
“In Belgorod, the occupier locked her in an apartment, confiscated her documents and phone, and would come whenever he wanted,” Bolvinov detailed. “The victim was morally destroyed, with no idea how to save herself.”
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the apartment was converted into a prison, with metal bars installed on windows and balconies. The victim endured systematic beatings, abuse, and sexual assault. In early 2023, seeing no escape, she attempted suicide by consuming boric acid.
“When the perpetrator took his now essentially enslaved victim to the hospital, it was her first contact with other people,” Bolvinov explained.
“She told Russian medical staff her story and begged for help. But the doctors either didn’t believe her or chose not to believe. As soon as her physical condition improved, they sent her ‘home.'”
The woman’s freedom came only after her captor, who turned out to be a deserter, was detained by Russian military police for abandoning his unit. This created an opportunity for her to contact her family and eventually escape Russia.
“This case is unique,” Bolvinov emphasized. “For the first time, we’re charging conflict-related sexual violence alongside slavery and illegal deportation. Our investigator, Anna Ponomarenko, is handling her second such high-profile case, using an approach that minimizes additional trauma to the victim while following international standards for investigating crimes of this category.”
The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges in absentia under Article 438 Part 1 and Article 438 Part 1 (in conjunction with Article 28 Part 2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, covering cruel treatment of civilians and violation of the laws and customs of war committed by a group.
“These perpetrators who destroyed our people’s lives won’t remain faceless,” Bolvinov declared. “We’re working to bring these cases to court, and we won’t stop.”
He urged other victims of Russian military violence to come forward, guaranteeing objective investigation and complete confidentiality for survivors and their families.
The victim is currently in Ukraine receiving medical and psychological support while authorities continue building their case against the perpetrator, who will be placed on an international wanted list.
Related:
- Russian soldier charged with month-long captivity and rape of Ukrainian woman
- Ukraine to pay urgent reparations to victims of Russian wartime sexual violence
- UN report: Russian military rape and kill Ukrainian women in occupied territories
