Russian soldiers have been accused of using sexual violence as a weapon of war, so local and international groups are rushing to get post-rape kits, emergency contraception, and abortion pills to Ukrainians.

More than 400 reports of sexual violence, including rape, have been received in two weeks.

Existing data is unlikely to give an accurate picture of the true magnitude of sexual violence in the country because rape so often goes unreported, according to the UNFPA's representative to Ukraine.

Insider has not been able to verify the allegations, but reports of rape have come from across the country.

"These stories are revolting that are being told by women, and many of them are becoming pregnant," said California Rep.

In the area where a massacre took place in March, about 25 girls and women were raped. Denisova said that nine of them are pregnant.

There is a critical race to quickly get reproductive-health supplies to Ukrainian women in need because of pregnancies such as these.

A woman, standing in a crowd. with a white scarf over her head holds a tissue to her face.
A woman witnesses bodies being processed from a mass grave in Bucha, Ukraine.
Erin Trieb for Insider

The European Network of the International Planned Parenthood Federation sent 2,880 packets of emergency contraception to Ukraine, according to the regional director of the organization.

The morning-after pill must be taken within five days of sexual contact to be effective. The pills can be taken up to 11 weeks into the baby's life.

It is not known if all the pills are to help rape victims, but demand was highest in the east of Ukraine, where the conflict is.

A woman organizes donated medical supplies at a central aid processing and distribution centre on 2 May 2022 in Lviv, Ukraine.
A woman organizes donated medical supplies at a central aid processing and distribution centre on 2 May 2022 in Lviv, Ukraine.
Leon Neal/Getty Images

Emergency contraception and abortion were easy to get in Ukraine before the war, but they are hard to get now as the war rages.

Since the beginning of the war, a group fromLithuania has sent over 1,700 tablets of emergency contraception to Ukrainians.

The organizations we work with are small, so they know about the need, and we know about it right away. There is no bureaucratic process or red tape in our organizations, so we can address those needs quickly.

Ukrainian refugees are fleeing to countries with limited abortion access

Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.

Although abortions in the case of rape are technically allowed, it is almost never performed, according to Women Help Women.

The process of obtaining one is incredibly traumatic and includes obtaining a certificate from a prosecutor to prove rape occurred, which in the case of Ukrainian women is obviously impossible, according to the organization.

Women Help Women said that pregnant Ukrainian refugees who are too far along to use abortion pills are forced to travel to England and the Netherlands to get abortions.

Ukrainian refugees in Poland
Ukrainian refugees after crossing into Poland on March 13.
Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images

They are going to a strange land, some of them with no economic means, and if they are lucky to have escaped, they could possibly be pregnant with a Russian rapist's baby.

In Hungary and Slovakia, abortion is strictly controlled, where many Ukrainian refugees have also fled.

Emergency contraception is available via prescription in Poland and Hungary, but it can be difficult to obtain.

There are a lot of doctors who will not give that prescription or make it very difficult, or we have even heard reports that doctors will pretend that they are not allowed to give out that prescription.

If you arrive and don't have any connections or know where to go, it will be even harder for women from the country.

For many, wartime is not the right time to have a baby

The demand for abortion and emergency contraception is not limited to survivors of rape.

There are people whose lives have been turned upside down because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and who no longer feel they can have children.

You may be separated from your family and your support systems. You have lost your job, your income, and your life is uncertain.

A woman collects debris to throw outside at an apartment damaged by a missile explosion in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on May 5, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A woman collecting debris to throw outside in an apartment damaged by a missile explosion in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on May 5.
Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images

It's not a good time to have a baby during wartime. Reports say that the trauma of war makes for difficult pregnancies.

Doctors in Poland say they are seeing higher rates of stillbirths, premature births, and pregnancies because of the stresses of war and limited access to healthcare for Ukrainian refugees, NBC News reported.

One doctor told the i newspaper that he attributed a 50% increase in preterm births in his hospital this year to the war.

The Democratic Women's Caucus hopes to 'put a spotlight' on the issue

The Democratic Women's Caucus wants to show their support for Ukrainian women who need reproductive healthcare.

The Secretary of State has spoken to members of the caucus about the issue. They hope to put a spotlight on it.

There will be recognition of the need to offer these services around the world and in war-torn areas.

The issue of reproductive freedom is likely to be a topic of discussion in the US at the moment.

There is a heightened sensitivity and awareness in the United States about the potential loss of a right that women have had for almost 50 years.