UN Report Attributes 1,004 Ukraine Sexual Violence Cases Mostly to Russia

The United Nations human rights office released a report on September 18, 2026, in Geneva documenting 1,004 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine between February 2022 and July 2026. Of those cases, 89% were attributed to the Russian side, including armed forces, prison service and security agencies, and 11% to the Ukrainian side. The 20-page report was based on confidential interviews with hundreds of victims plus court documents and official records. Methods included rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, forced nudity, beatings, threats and electric shocks to the genitals with a Soviet-era field telephone called a tapik. 155 victims (27%) reported tapik-related genital shocks in detention. Danielle Bell told reporters that in the Ukraine war context the majority of survivors are men and that men and women require different recovery approaches, adding documented cases are just a fraction of the reality. Volker Turk said he was deeply alarmed and feared the acts are almost certainly continuing. OHCHR documented no rape of Russian POWs by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine's foreign ministry welcomed the report; Russia's Geneva mission declined comment. One source ends the covered period in July 2025 rather than July 2026. The report said findings likely understate the true scale due to underreporting and denied access to occupied areas.