March 07, 2023

Violence in the Ranks


Violence in the Ranks
Olena Zalenska speaking at the United for Justice conference, 2023. President of Ukraine

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has begun an investigation into 171 cases of sexual violence committed by Russian military personnel against residents of Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The investigation was announced by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, at the United for Justice conference in Lviv on March 4. A video of her speech was posted to her Telegram channel on the same day.

"The main thing is that we know about these cases only because these people found the strength to speak. How many suffer in silence, especially in the occupied territories, we do not know," Zelenska said in her speech, noting the difficulty in speaking out given media attention and the status of rape as "a highly stigmatized crime."

The first lady said that "the number and overtness of the rapes of peaceful Ukrainians give us confidence that this is a deliberate policy of the Russian army, this is their deliberate psychological and physical weapon against Ukrainians."

Zelenska said that the figures do not only include women, but also 39 men, 13 minors, and one young boy. She went on to outline individual cases of sexual violence being investigated by the Attorney General's Office.

Zelenska's declaration of 171 cases represented an increase from the 155 indicated in the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine's January 20 report. The majority of cases were in the Kherson and Kiev regions, with 65 and 52 cases, respectively.

You Might Also Like

Not Afraid
  • September 01, 2016

Not Afraid

An online movement is aiming to reshape perceptions about domestic violence.
Keep Calm and Be Polite
  • January 03, 2023

Keep Calm and Be Polite

The United Russia party has developed a code of conduct for deputies when they are interacting with media.
Annihilating Mariupol: When is it a War Crime?
  • March 31, 2022

Annihilating Mariupol: When is it a War Crime?

At least eighty percent of Mariupol has been destroyed or damaged. An account of what has happened in the city through the eyes of two refugees – Alla, 87 years old, and Denis Hulai, 24 – both of whom managed to escape with their families.
The Not-too-Mighty Russian Armed Forces
  • July 24, 2022

The Not-too-Mighty Russian Armed Forces

It's been four months, and Ukraine is still standing. The front lines have hardly moved in ten weeks. Is this the Russian army everyone so feared?
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955