GENEVA

A new UN Human Rights Office report released on Tuesday details widespread torture, ill-treatment, and arbitrary detention of Ukrainian civilians by Russian authorities since 2022.

According to the UN report, Russian authorities "have subjected Ukrainian civilian detainees in occupied territory to torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, in a widespread and systematic manner."

The report is based on interviews with 215 released detainees conducted since June 2023 by the UN Human Rights Office. Most interviewees shared consistent accounts of harsh beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, sexual violence, and threats against themselves and their families. Many also described inhumane detention conditions, such as food deprivation and inadequate medical care.

The UN report criticizes Russia’s use of its criminal law in occupied Ukrainian territories, noting that such actions violate international humanitarian law and have led to high rates of arbitrary detentions and possible enforced disappearances. Families often have little or no information about their loved ones, it added.

"The cumulative effect of these measures, combined with a lack of accountability, has placed many Ukrainian civilians outside the effective protection of the law during their detention and contributed to an oppressive environment and climate of fear in the occupied territory of Ukraine," the report stated.

Ukrainian authorities estimate that around 1,800 civilians remain detained by Russia, although the actual number is "likely to be significantly higher," the office noted.

"Our report lays bare the human rights violations inflicted on civilian detainees," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. He stressed that detainees' rights "must be prioritized in any peace talks."

He reiterated that civilians must always be treated humanely and can only be detained on lawful grounds under international law, adding that they "must be released from detention as soon as such grounds cease to exist."

There is no immediate reaction to the UN rights office report from Moscow.