Ukrainian survivors are seeking justice against Russian soldiers they say committed acts of rape, electrocution, and forced ingestion of dirt in alleged war crimes that remain unpunished. A joint investigation by BBC Eye and BBC News Ukraine has identified four men accused of systematic torture and rape of civilians in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, where prosecutors report that sexual violence has affected victims ranging in age from four years old to the elderly.
Liudmyla Huseinova, a victim of detention in Donetsk by pro-Russian forces in 2019, described her arrest and subsequent detainment at the Izolyatsia prison. She stated she was accused of spying, despite providing food for soldiers and assisting children in an orphanage. Huseinova alleges she was taken to the prison's second floor, known for torture, and subjected to abuse by individuals identified as Yurii Temerbek and a man with a Russian accent named Koval.
According to Huseinova, Koval allegedly made demeaning comments and sexually assaulted her. She also recounted an ordeal involving a guard identified as Yermak, who she says forced her to eat uncooked food mixed with soil and garbage in front of a camera. She described the taste as something that would remain with her forever.
Ruslan Sheiter, another detainee at Izolyatsia, reported being held in a basement torture chamber for two months after his arrest for passing information to the Ukrainian army. Sheiter described violent interrogations in the basement, where a Soviet-era field telephone device known as a 'Tapik' was used to administer electric shocks. Prisoners, with hands and legs bound, had electrodes attached to their earlobes and genitals, and received shocks when interrogators were dissatisfied with their answers.
Oleksii Sivak, a 42-year-old sailor from Kherson, was detained in 2022 for creating anti-Russian banners and leaflets. He reported experiencing torture and sexual assault in a former police facility, including electrocution on his genitals. A fellow prisoner described the detention center as a 'human zoo.' Investigators identified the facility as being run by Andrey Spivak, nicknamed 'Angry,' a former police officer from Omsk. Detainees stated Spivak imposed a brutal regime, forcing them to sing the Russian national anthem and chant pro-Russian slogans.
Irena, who requested anonymity, was four months pregnant when Russian forces invaded her village. She and her son's 17-year-old girlfriend were allegedly stripped naked and subjected to harassment and rape by Russian soldiers. Irena identified one of her assailants as Vadim Shakhmatov, a sniper. Shakhmatov, a 34-year-old married man with a daughter, lives in southwest Russia and is pictured on social media.
While the four men identified in the investigation have not yet faced justice, one Russian woman, Olga Bukovskaya, was prosecuted for encouraging her soldier husband to commit rape. Leaked audio revealed her telling him to "rape Ukrainian grannies and don't tell me, ok? I permit you, but use protection." In the spring of 2025, a Ukrainian court sentenced her in absentia to five years imprisonment.
Ukrainian prosecutors have initiated cases against dozens of individuals accused of abusing detainees in Russian-run prisons, with a limited number convicted in absentia. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office has documented over 400 cases of conflict-related sexual violence. To date, 85 individuals have been charged, and 30 have received prison sentences, predominantly in absentia. According to Anina Sosonska, who leads the prosecutor's team on conflict-related sexual violence, the youngest victim was four years old and the oldest was 82.
Survivors expressed a determination to see those responsible brought to justice, viewing the exposure of their identities as a crucial step toward accountability. Huseinova stated that if the accused men are not found and imprisoned, justice would mean their names becoming known to their children as criminals and torturers. She emphasized that for her, justice is not revenge but a legal decree that acknowledges the intentionality of their actions.