Ukraine Signs Survivor-Centered Guidelines for Investigating Wartime Sexual Violence

Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies have adopted new rules for investigating conflict-related sexual violence that place survivors at the center of the process, with the full-scale war now in its fifth year and the number of documented cases still rising.The interagency document will guide investigators from the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), as well as prosecutors, in handling such cases. Ivan Vyhivskyi, Minister of Internal Affairs, announced the decision in a statement on Monday, Oct. 5.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“Today, we took an important step in this direction,” Vyhivskyi said, adding that its key principle is the survivor-centered approach.“When interacting with the justice system, a person must receive safety, respect for their dignity and the necessary support,” he continued.‘One of the gravest crimes,’ Vyhivskyi saysConflict-related sexual violence remains one of the most serious, but also most common, crime of the war.The new rules – whose signing ceremony took place in the presence of British Ambassador to Ukraine, Neil Crompton – comply with international and European standards for protecting the victims, including those set out in directives of the European Parliament and the European Council.According to the minister, the next stage is “coordinated and practical implementation” of the signed document.This includes systematic training of investigators and prosecutors, unified procedures and proper interagency cooperation. Other Topics of Interest NATO Uses Lessons-Learned in Ukraine to Plan Russian Defeat in 3D+ Battlespace The strategy combines conventional forces with low-cost drones, minimally crewed systems and AI-enabled targeting. UN documents nearly 900 cases by Russian forcesThe new instructions for Ukraine’s law enforcement comes less than three weeks after a UN report found that Russian authorities were responsible for the vast majority of documented sexual violence cases linked to the war.Between Feb. 24, 2022 and July 31, 2026, the UN Human Rights Office recorded 1,004 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, of which 892, or 89%, were atributted to Russian authorities, including the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and the Federal Security Service (FSB).Most of the victims of Russian abuses were men, primarily Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian detainees. The report documented 725 male victims, 151 women and 16 children, with female victims ranging in age from 4 to 82.The documented abuses included rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks and forced nudity, as well as threats of sexual violence.One of the most frequently reported methods involved a Soviet-era military field telephone, known as a “tapik,” used to deliver electric shocks to victims’ genitals. At least 155 Ukrainian POWs and retained medical personnel were subjected to the practice.Russia refused to give UN unrestricted access to POW campsOf the report, the remaining 112 cases were attributed to Ukrainian authorities, mostly involving the mistreatment of Russian POWs, with threats of sexual violence accounting for nearly half of them.According to Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, such violations had been documented on both sides of the front line. However, there was a sharp difference “in scope and scale.”She said Ukraine has taken “concrete steps to prevent and address such violations,” while also granting UN investigators unrestricted access to POW camps and other detention facilities under its control.Russia has failed to do the same.Responding to the findings, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of using rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. He said the documented cases likely represent only a fraction of the true scale, as many survivors stay silent because of trauma, fear or social stigma.The UN has also warned that its figures substantially understate the extent of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine, citing underreporting, fear of reprisals and restricted access to Russian-occupied areas. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.