UN claims Russian forces systematically torturing Ukrainians

Authorities at Russian detention facilities in all the occupied areas of Ukraine have systematically tortured prisoners, the United Nations reported on Tuesday. Those prisoners included both civilians and prisoners of war, and the torture included psychological, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, the United Nations Human Rights Council said. The United Nations’ independent investigative team also documented instances of torture at detention facilities inside Russia.

Why does the UN say this torture was systematic? Investigators discovered that Russian authorities employed similar torture methods in different facilities across different areas of Ukraine and Russia. That indicated the methods were both intentional and institutional, according to the report. The methods were also used to target similar demographics in each location, with the same objectives in mind.

Did the UN say anything else in the report? Investigators said that Moscow’s forces were routinely targeting civilian targets with explosives. They also alleged that Russian troops were engaging in rampant sexual abuse against individuals in occupied Ukrainian territories outside of detention facilities.

What does Russia have to say? Last year, the Kremlin accused Ukrainian forces of engaging in human rights abuses, according to the Russian state-run media outlet TASS. Moscow has encouraged the United Nations to investigate those reports. Several months earlier, another TASS report claimed that the United Nations’ own documents showed some instances of Russian prisoners of war enduring torture in Ukraine.

Dig deeper: Listen to Kristen Flavin and Addie Offereins’ report on The World and Everything in It podcast about Russian Christians fleeing persecution.