UN report details horrifying Ukrainian accounts of rape, torture and executions by Russian troops

War crime prosecutor of Kharkiv Oblast stands with forensic technician and policeman at the site of a mass burial in a forest during exhumation on September 16, 2022 in Izium, Ukraine.

There are graphic photos of dead bodies and extremely graphic material detailing reports of executions, rape and torture of people in Ukranian.

According to a report commissioned by the United Nations, Russian forces in Ukraine committed a number of war crimes, including summary executions, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence.

There are violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in four regions occupied by the Russian armed forces, according to a report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry. The commission investigated mostly in the regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv.

In order to prepare the report, the commission traveled to 27 cities and interviewed 191 people. The commission found that war crimes were committed against Russian troops by the Ukrainian forces.

Since the full-scale invasion began in late February, Moscow has denied accusations of deliberately targeting civilians.

One of the most disturbing examples of sexual violence involves a child.

Two Russian soldiers raped a woman several times, committed acts of sexual violence on the woman's husband, and forced the couple to have sex in front of them.

The four-year-old girl was forced to perform oral sex on the soldier.

According to the commission, the ages of victims of sexual assault ranged from 4 years old to over 80 years old.

The group said perpetrators raped the women and girls in their homes or took them and raped them in unoccupied dwellings.

The group said that spouses and family members were sometimes forced to witness the crimes committed by Russian troops who were often under the influence of alcohol.

There were separate incidents in March involving a middle-aged and elderly woman.

A 56-year-old woman told how two of the three Russian armed forces who broke into her home gang-raped her as the third watched while masturbating. Food and money were taken from her. She found out a couple of weeks later that her husband had been killed.

While her village was occupied by the Russian armed forces, an 83-year-old woman was raped by a Russian armed forces serviceman in her home.

Some victims refused to be interviewed while others contemplated suicide, according to the commission. According to a psychologist who spoke with the commission, all victims with whom he works are blaming themselves for being raped.

The report shows that Russian forces mistreated Ukrainian civilians in overcrowded facilities before carrying out interrogation sessions.

The conditions of confinement were not good. The space was so crowded that some people had to sleep on chairs for weeks. The air was suffocating and there was no light or light source.

There were no showers or toilets in the building. There was very little access to food and water. The soldiers were shooting at the victims to frighten them.

A Ukrainian police officer examines a cell as the words of the Lord’s Prayer are written on the wall at the District Police Department used by Russian occupiers for torture, Balakliia, Kharkiv Region, northeastern Ukraine.

Russian soldiers referred to Ukrainian civilians as "fascists" during interrogation sessions, according to a report.

The individuals were blindfolded, handcuffed, and beaten with rifles or batons. The commission said that Russian forces used electric shocks and tasers.

Forced nudity in front of others, which is also sexual violence, was described by victims.

The victim was severely beaten after he refused to support the Russian Federation.

A victim was forced to stand naked and shout "glory to Russia" while being beaten and was not able to remember the lyrics of the anthem of the Russian Federation.

The commission wrote that the transfer of people from Ukraine to Russia was a violation of international law. After they arrived in Russia, they were held in detention facilities and issued Russian identity cards. Moscow has denied the accusations.

The report states that victims in civilian clothes were killed by Russian troops.

The left hand of a senior man killed in a deadly Russian missile strike on a humanitarian convoy remains on the steering wheel of a car in Zaporizhzhia, southeastern Ukraine.

The commission said that most of the incidents took place during daylight and that civilians should have been clear to the attacker.

The majority of summary executions took place in places where Russian armed forces were present for a long time.

The dead bodies of some of the victims were found with their hands tied behind their back, a sign that they were in custody and not a danger to the public.

The Commission found that the cause of death was consistent with methods used during executions: gunshot wounds to the head, blunt trauma, or slit throats. Evidence of torture on the bodies was found in some cases.

Investigators carry away a body bag in a forest near Izyum, eastern Ukraine, on September 23, 2022, where Ukrainian investigators have uncovered more than 440 graves after the city was recaptured from Russian forces, bringing fresh claims of war atrocities.

According to the report, the Russian armed forces carried out an array of war crimes, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

In a future report, the group plans to include a broader geographical region.