Russian troops using rape as ‘instrument of war’, claims Ukraine’s prosecutor general

Russian troops are allegedly applying rape “as an instrument of war”, with the Ukrainian prosecutor normal accusing invading soldiers of breaking into a property close to Kyiv just before shooting useless a Ukrainian guy and then sexually assaulting his wife.

Iryna Venediktova explained the alleged criminal offense took location in Brovary, 1 of the capital’s eastern suburbs. She extra that the victim’s little one was present when the incident transpired.

The Independent has been unable to confirm these statements.

In social media posts earlier this week, the country’s prosecutor common stated the allegation was being investigated by the condition, the very first time a rape demand has been brought towards Russians since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine a month in the past.

Ms Venediktova did not did not give additional specifics or evidence to again up the assert. As a final result, it is unclear when the attack is said to have occurred.

In response to the stories, Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, reported: “Two million persons ended up raped in Germany by Russians all through Planet War Two.

“Russia once again is using rape as an instrument of war. This time in Ukraine. Background repeats alone.”

Accusations of rape ended up also levelled at the Russian forces by Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba before this thirty day period.

Talking by means of movie-link at an occasion hosted by the Chatham Property imagine tank in London, Mr Kuleba mentioned Moscow’s soldiers had committed sexual crimes in Ukraine.

When asked regardless of whether Mr Putin should stand trial in the foreseeable future for war crimes, Ukraine’s international secretary said: “When bombs slide on your towns, when soldiers rape ladies in the occupied towns – and we have numerous situations of, unfortunately, when Russian troopers rape ladies in Ukrainian metropolitan areas – it is tough of system to talk about the performance of intercontinental law.”

On Wednesday, the US accused the Kremlin of committing war crimes versus Ukrainian civilians. It did not explicitly mention rape, even so.

The American secretary of condition, Anthony Blinken, explained there experienced been “various credible studies of indiscriminate attacks and assaults intentionally focusing on civilians, as properly as other atrocities” dedicated by Russian troops. He drew particular interest to assaults on the besieged town of Mariupol, which is mentioned to now resemble “the ashes of a dead land”.