Attachments
19 March 2025
Erik Møse, Chair
Good afternoon,
We are here today to share with you the main findings of the report that we have just presented to the Human Rights Council.
One of our important new findings is that Russian authorities committed enforced disappearances against Ukrainian civilians as crimes against humanity.
Russian authorities detained large numbers of civilians in all provinces where they took control of areas in Ukraine. Victims included local authorities, civil servants, journalists, and other persons they perceived as a threat to their military objectives in Ukraine. Many prisoners of war were also victims of enforced disappearances.
The victims were often transferred to detention facilities in Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine or deported to the Russian Federation. In these detention facilities, they were subjected to other grave violations and crimes, including torture and sexual violence. Many persons have been missing for months, or years. Some have died. The fate and whereabouts of many remain unknown, leaving their families in agonizing uncertainty.
The failure of Russian authorities to inform the families has violated their right to know the truth. They undertook significant risks searching for the victims, experiencing anguish without information about their fate or whereabouts or how to help them. The wife of a man who had been missing for over two years, stated, “The despair is killing me. I don’t know what to do or how to help my husband.”
The Commission found that in response to inquiries from families of missing persons, Russian authorities, at different levels, provided standard replies, which systematically failed to communicate the fate or whereabouts of those disappeared. This deprived the victims of the protection of the law and rendered them vulnerable to further violations and crimes.
Based on our evidence, the Commission has concluded that the enforced disappearances against civilians were perpetrated pursuant to a coordinated state policy and amount to crimes against humanity.
Vrinda Grover, Commissioner
This report documents further evidence confirming our previous finding that Russian authorities have committed torture pursuant to a coordinated state policy and as crimes against humanity.
Personnel of the Federal Security Service (referred to as “FSB” in Russian) exercised the highest authority when present in detention facilities. They committed or ordered torture during various stages of detentions, and in particular during interrogations, when some of the most brutal treatment was inflicted.
The Commission investigated new cases of rape and sexual violence against female detainees. Some women were raped during interrogation, as a means to coerce, intimidate or punish them; others were subjected to forced nudity in the presence of male guards. The actions of the perpetrators, aimed at humiliating and degrading women in detention, highlighted the gendered dimension of violence in detention. A civilian woman who had been raped during confinement in a detention facility held by Russian authorities, stated that she pleaded with the perpetrators, telling them she could be their mother’s age, but they dismissed her, saying, “Bitch, don’t even compare yourself to my mother. You are not even a human. You do not deserve to live.”
We have concluded that Russian authorities committed the war crimes of rape and sexual violence as a form of torture.
Pablo de Greiff, Commissioner
The Commission examined a growing number of incidents in which the Russian armed forces killed or wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were captured or attempted to surrender. This constitutes a war crime.
Our investigators have been able to interview soldiers who deserted from the Russian armed forces. Several of them told the Commission that they had received orders not to take prisoners but to kill them instead. This suggests a coordinated state policy. For instance, one former soldier stated that in a meeting, a deputy brigade commander told the entire regiment, “Prisoners are not needed, shoot them on the spot.”
The Commission found that both parties to the armed conflict, using drones, killed or wounded visibly injured soldiers who could no longer defend themselves. This is a war crime. Videos and photographs of such incidents show that the soldiers that were hit often had serious injuries.
We documented some violations of human rights law committed by Ukrainian authorities against persons they accused of collaboration with Russian authorities. Moreover, the Commission has previously referred to the legal uncertainty concerning the definition of “collaborative activity” in Ukrainian legislation and has recommended that it be aligned with international standards.
To conclude, victims have suffered from violations and crimes as well as years of hardships. Their recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration in society pose numerous challenges and require comprehensive efforts and assistance. The Commission thus reiterates the importance of judicial and non-judicial forms of accountability, including measures of truth, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence. Ensuring that perpetrators of violations and crimes are identified and held accountable for their acts helps to end the cycle of impunity. Both forms of accountability contribute to the sustainability of peace processes.