Ukraine has been facing Russian aggression since 2014. A part of our territory has been occupied by a terrorist state for over 9 years. Occupiers commit crimes against the Ukrainian people, including sexual violence.
After the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Ukrainian media reported cases of rape against Ukrainian women. In the spring of 2022, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, revealed the investigation of at least one case of rape. The story of the victim was first reported by The Times.
Unfortunately, the number of these crimes continues to rise. “Documented cases of rape occurred from March 2022 to July 2022 in villages in the Kherson region. In several cases, it was established that the victims were a pregnant 16-year-old girl and women aged 19 to 83”, – reports OBOZREVATEL.
“By today [06/19/2023 – ed.], the National Police is investigating 53 cases of sexual violence by occupiers. It’s horrifying that among the crimes we’ve identified, 10 were committed against children,” reports the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Anyone can become a victim of violence. You don’t necessarily have to belong to an enemy nation. You can simply be a woman working in a bar in the occupied Crimea. By sharing this story, we want to draw society’s attention to the issue of violence against women, which has become particularly acute since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The state of Ukraine and we, its citizens, must do everything possible to ensure unimpeded access to legal, psychological, and other necessary assistance for those who have suffered from violence. Unfortunately, as experience shows, we will hear many more such stories after the de-occupation of our territories.
For confidentiality and the informant’s safety, some data may be distorted, and dates will be approximate.
How has life changed after the 24.02.2022 on the peninsula? Have there been any clear signs that Russia started a full-scale war?
After February 24, life on the peninsula certainly changed. I vividly remember when all my dormitory friends urgently went to withdraw cash from ATMs because they were afraid that banks would be blocked. At that time, students in the dormitory split into two “camps”: for Russia and for Ukraine. Mostly, there were those who supported Ukraine. After the start of the full-scale war, propaganda increased, symbols of “z” and “v” appeared everywhere. Graffiti with Putin, Russian military, and military symbols started to appear on the walls of residential buildings, and military symbolism was attached to all types of transport. Political conflicts became more frequent, even leading to fights.
What had changed personally to you after the events of February 24?
I was saddened by some people in my surroundings. I hoped they would at least be “for peace,” but they turned out to be pro-Russian. Unfortunately, in Crimea, you cannot avoid dealing with them; your environment and even family members can be permeated with propaganda, as not everyone realizes its power. I also completely stopped listening to Russian news because hearing about another so-called “success” became ridiculous. In Crimea, arrests of people whose political position does not align with the official agenda became more frequent. Previously, we could comfortably post a Ukrainian flag on Instagram, but now any informant will report it to local authorities, and you’ll be attributed to extremists, with all information about you and your family available in local groups, even your address. In the best case, you’ll be forced to make a public video apology as a form of “retribution”. There are many people with pro-Ukrainian positions in Crimea, but rarely can anyone publicly express support for Ukraine or disagreement with the local authorities.
As far as I know, you work in a bar. Tell me how the war has personally affected this sphere if we compare it with previous years.
This year, the “season” was definitely worse; I stopped seeing those people who used to come earlier, and there were fewer people in general. Mostly, people come with vouchers; they are not willing to spend money in Crimea. People stopped pretending that there is no war and began to fear for their lives.
When we were talking, you mentioned a story about the Russian military. Please tell me more about it.
Just a few months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, horror began. The military began to come to civilian territories and do complete lawlessness in a state of alcohol intoxication. One of the first incidents that happened to me was about a year and a half ago. A tall military man came to me and asked for a cocktail, then asked to repeat it several times. Since the bar is open 24/7, he stayed until late at night. He tried to talk to me all the time, but I tried to respond briefly and focus on other guests. Closer to 4:00 am, all the guests left, except for him. He quickly said that he had a wife and two small children waiting for him at home, but that didn’t stop him from bothering me. All this time, he waited for people in the bar to leave, and then he tried to kiss me and come behind the bar, but I managed to close the door in time. An hour later, he tried to come to me again, but I pretended to call the police. Perhaps he realized that I could cause him problems and left.
Another situation happened not so long ago.
Two soldiers came to the bar, closer to 10:00 pm. One was sober while the other drank. Overall, they didn’t behave any particularly, the drunk one was loud, and the sober one kept looking around. Around 3-4 am, the sober one went to the toilet. The toilet was located behind the doors that lead to the bar counter. The bar counter is closed, we understand all the dangers of our work.
Leaving the toilet, he approached the bar counter and said that there was a pipe burst, and the floor was flooded. I had to react to this as the only staff member on duty. Entering the toilet, I didn’t have time to realize when this man followed me, closed the door, and grabbed me by the throat, starting to strangle with one hand and undress with the other. For me, it remains a mystery how I managed to break free from his hands and run to the bar counter, close the door, and press the emergency button. He realized that things were getting serious, took his friend by the hand, and led them out of the facility. The police arrived half an hour later, and I began to tell them the whole situation. In response, I received only, “Well, why do you work in such a place?” I was speechless because it was incredibly offensive. I just went to the utility room, wrote an explanatory note, and gave it to the police. That’s how the story ended.
How do you think this war will affect women in Russia and the occupied territories when soldiers return home?
The situation with women is already evident. More and more cases of domestic violence are becoming known, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Most soldiers return not only physically wounded but also morally. They are unstable, and this is reflected primarily in their families, as they are the ones who will turn a blind eye to oppression, perceiving it as a given. This is evident in the news of our days, where the main characters are often men who have returned from the front and their wives with children. These people are already saturated with cruelty to the bone; they can only talk about it and see only cruelty. Perhaps this can be called post-war syndrome when peaceful life is no longer for you.
I don’t dispute that there may be a percentage of soldiers who behave adequately after returning from military operations. Still, it is a small percentage compared to those who use aggression as a standard form of communication.
Translator: Bohdana-Nikolietta Terekhina
Read more: Sexual violence as the norm for the Russian army
*National Hotline to Prevent Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, and Gender Discrimination NGO “La Strada-Ukraine.” Website: https://la-strada.org.ua/en/; Phone: 0 800 500 335 (from mobile or landline) or 116 123 (from mobile).
Appeals for inquiries related to domestic violence, gender discrimination, and human trafficking.
*NGO “Dіvchata” (Girls). Website: https://www.divchata.org/en/; Phone: +38 073 460 38 60
Provides psychological and legal assistance to women and girls who have suffered or are suffering from violence within or outside the family.
