Women in Ukraine Tell Their Stories of Sexual Violence by Russian Soldiers
Darya with her mother near Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in June. Darya said a drunken Russian soldier had forced his hands into her underwear and shouted “I want a young body!”Credit... Photographs by Lynsey Addario Written by Sara Cincurova New York Times Hundreds of Ukrainian women and girls have reported sexual violence by Russian troops during the nearly four years of full-scale war in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian authorities and aid groups. The actual number of victims, advocates say, is most likely far higher. Some of the women say they have been impregnated by Russian soldiers and live with children who will forever remind them of their attackers. Others have told of being forced to serve as sex slaves for entire companies of Russian troops. Still others say their life became a waking nightmare after they were incapacitated and raped by Russian forces. The New York Times spoke with more than a dozen women who said they had been sexually abused by Rus...
