A Russian soldier orchestrated the deportation of a Ukrainian woman from Izium’s district of Kharkiv Oblast to Russia, where he kept her prisoner, raped and abused her, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The city of Izium was captured by Russian forces on 1 April 2022. The occupation was marked by severe human rights abuses, including reports of mass graves and widespread destruction, with over 80% of residential buildings damaged or destroyed during the fighting. After six months under Russian control, Ukrainian forces successfully liberated Izium during a counteroffensive that reclaimed substantial territory in the region. The liberation revealed the extent of the devastation, with local officials estimating that at least 1,000 civilians had died during the occupation.
Ukraine has charged the Russian soldier in absentia with war crimes, including cruel treatment of civilians and violations of the laws and customs of war.
The suspect is a soldier of the 1st Motorized Rifle Regiment (military unit No. 31135) of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division, 1st Tank Army of the Western Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. He participated in the occupation of Izium in Kharkiv Oblast.
The investigation says that in the spring of 2022, while stationed in a village in the Izium district, he broke into the home of a 21-year-old Ukrainian woman who lived there with her family. He seized the woman and forcibly dragged her to a nearby abandoned house, where he raped her at gunpoint—repeating the assault later.
He then enlisted two fellow soldiers, known by the call signs “Ibrahim” and “Maga,” to transport the woman to Belgorod. In June 2022, the soldiers arrived at her home, ordered her to pack her belongings immediately, and threatened to execute her entire family if she refused.
They forced her into a car and drove her to the Verigovka border checkpoint in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, where they compelled her to pass through passport control.
The suspect was waiting for her on the other side. He took her to an apartment in Belgorod, where he held her captive for over a year, repeatedly raping and beating her. To prevent her escape, he reinforced the windows and balcony with iron bars, and the front door remained locked at all times. The woman attempted suicide by drinking boric acid.
She finally managed to escape after Russian military police arrested the soldier for desertion. She is now safely back in Ukraine.
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