The Telegraph has gathered testimony and medical evidence from survivors across formerly occupied Ukrainian territories, documenting systematic sexual violence by Russian forces since February 2022.
Russia's occupation pattern across Ukrainian territories includes arbitrary detention, systematic torture in makeshift prisons, and sexual violence against civilians ranging from children to elderly residents.
Denis and Maria, a couple from Melitopol, joined local resistance after Russian troops seized their city on 25 February 2022. Within weeks, authorities detained them for distributing pro-Ukrainian materials and sharing coordinates of Russian positions on Telegram.
"Bastards like you belong in the trunk," Denis recalled a Russian soldier saying before forcing him into a car boot.
Interrogators separated the couple at a detention center. Denis was placed in a cell with 25 men, while Maria underwent further questioning. Denis described being forced to witness sexual assault as a form of psychological torture.
"They took me to a garage and forced me to watch as a man had his head and legs held down while he was raped," he said. Guards beat him or administered electric shocks if he closed his eyes. "If you don't watch, this could happen to you," a guard told him.
Denis was also sexually assaulted during his 57 days in captivity. Medical records provided to The Telegraph show hematomas on his chest, multiple rib fractures, and broken foot bones. In April 2025, psychiatric evaluation diagnosed him with PTSD and depression. His ribs remain unhealed.
In Kherson Oblast, Anna, a 72-year-old widow with limited mobility, stayed behind when neighbors fled the Russian advance. About 60 villagers remained after one woman stepping on a mine was killed instantly in front of her five children.
"They destroyed everything. They stole the animals, and the only cow we villagers had to survive – the one that provided us milk and cheese – was shot and killed," Anna said.
On 27 June 2022, a Russian soldier forced his way into her home at night. The man, whom Anna believes was under the influence of drugs, struck her with his rifle, knocking out a tooth, then raped her. During the assault, his phone rang and the caller addressed him as Roman.
"If you even think of telling anyone, I will bury you alive. And if you tell the neighbours, I'll kill them all," he said.
Anna contracted hepatitis C from the rape and requires antiviral medication to prevent liver damage. Medical documentation provided to The Telegraph confirms her diagnosis and ongoing treatment.
A missile struck Anna's house in late August 2022. Two days later, Ukrainian forces liberated the village during an offensive that retook territory up to the Dnieper river.
Some residents left permanently, Anna said, including a family whose nine-year-old daughter was raped repeatedly by Russian soldiers. "They left out of shame and from the pain of seeing the place where she was raped again and again."
Margarita, a 78-year-old retired literature teacher from Kherson Oblast, initially shared her house with five Russian soldiers. "They were extremely violent. Sometimes they got drunk and began shooting at each other," she said.
Months later, another soldier broke in at night. He beat her with his gun until she lost several teeth, then strangled her. "He squeezed my throat so hard that, for weeks after the attack, I couldn't eat solid food because it hurt so much."
He raped her at knifepoint, cutting her stomach with a blade during the assault. "I'll be back the day after tomorrow. If you think about telling anyone, I'll kill you," he said.
Margarita endured pain from stomach wounds and fractured ribs for two months, afraid hospital collaborators might report her to Russian authorities. Medical notes detail her rib damage, and the stomach scar remains visible.
The United Nations Human Rights Council reports Ukrainian men have been targeted with sexual violence, particularly in detention facilities. Andiy, 40, was imprisoned in August 2022 after a neighbor reported him for flying a Ukrainian flag.
In a cell built for three but holding a dozen men, Andiy said almost everyone was tortured. "They used whatever was at hand – sticks, construction tools, anything – to perpetrate sexual violence."
"One day they hung a man by his testicles. They became so swollen he could no longer wear trousers. His testicles filled with pus, and we had to drain them ourselves," he said. "Many prisoners bled to death after being impaled."
Andiy now leads a foundation supporting male survivors. The organization assists approximately 500 men and gathers evidence for potential International Criminal Court prosecution.
Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General has verified 365 cases of war-related sexual assault: 231 women and 134 men. The youngest survivor is four years old, the oldest 80.
The UN sexual health agency estimates each documented case represents 10 to 20 unreported incidents, given survivors' fear and continuing Russian occupation of approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Nineteen Russian soldiers have been convicted in absentia of sexual violence since the invasion began and sentenced to prison.
