The UN International Commission of Inquiry concluded that the Russian authorities are widely and systematically abducting Ukrainians in the occupied territories — a crime against humanity.
This is stated in the report.
Russian military and intelligence services detain people they consider a threat: local officials, journalists, activists, ordinary citizens. Many prisoners of war have also been victims of enforced disappearances.
After being detained, people were taken to prisons in the occupied territories of Ukraine or deported to Russia, where they were tortured and subjected to sexual violence. Some of those abducted died. The fate and whereabouts of many remain unknown.
In response to inquiries from families of the missing, Russian authorities at various levels provided standard responses that did not provide information about the fate or whereabouts of the missing.
The UN International Commission of Inquiry notes that the abduction of civilians by Russians is a coordinated state policy of the Russian Federation.
The Commission has previously stated that the Russian authorities have used torture as a crime against humanity. Recent investigations have also confirmed that when officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) were in prison, they committed or ordered torture, including during interrogations.
An old man who was detained by the occupiers said that the FSB officers ordered him to be electrocuted and said: "Dude, donʼt think that you will be spared because of your age. Go back to your cell and think carefully about your answers. And if your brain doesnʼt work, we will bring your granddaughters here and beat the truth out of you in front of them."
The Commission also described the systematic use of sexual violence as a form of torture, mostly against men. In recent investigations, the UN has documented new cases of rape of abducted women. There have been cases of gang rape and other acts of violence.
The commission also recorded an increase in incidents in which Russian soldiers killed or wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were captured or trying to surrender. This is a war crime.
Investigators were able to interview soldiers who had deserted from the Russian army. Several of them reported that they had been ordered not to take prisoners but to kill them, indicating a coordinated policy on the part of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, the UN International Commission of Inquiry found that both sides in the conflict, using drones, killed or injured already wounded soldiers, which is also a war crime.
The UN report described some violations of human rights laws by the Ukrainian authorities regarding those suspected of collaborating with the occupiers.
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