A woman who escaped from the devastated Ukrainian city of Irpen on the outskirts of Kyiv accused Russian soldiers of raping women and shooting innocent civilians.
Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old resident of Energodar who worked as a waitress in Irpen before the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied city were like “hell” and argued that the occupiers treated the locals horribly.
“Irpen is Hell. There are a lot of Russian soldiers there who just shoot people who enter private homes and at best just kick people out of the house,” Anastasia told the Ukrainian edition of Euromaidan Press.
“They rape the women and the dead are just thrown away.”
This is the latest in a string of rape lawsuits brought against Kremlin forces by both Ukrainian refugees and government officials since the invasion began. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and opposition MP Lesya Vasylenko cite reports of Russian soldiers sexually abusing helpless civilians.
This came after footage emerged of a Russian soldier carrying a stack of condoms when he was captured by the Ukrainians.
Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old resident of Energodar who worked as a waitress in Irpen before the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied city were like “hell” and argued that the occupiers treated the locals horribly. including sexual abuse
Just 15 miles from downtown Kyiv, the city of Irpin (pictured March 8) has been under devastating Russian bombardment for weeks. Many of the city’s residents have fled, but many remain trapped after the city’s bridges were blown up and dozens of other civilians were killed while trying to escape.
“Irpen is Hell. There are a lot of Russian soldiers there who just shoot at people who enter private houses and at best just kick people out of the house,” Taran told the Ukrainian edition of Euromaidan Press (Irpin pictured on March 13).
This is the latest in a string of rape lawsuits brought against Kremlin forces by both Ukrainian refugees and government officials since the invasion began, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously referring to reports that Russian soldiers had raped helpless civilians.
Anastasia’s allegations that Ukrainian women were sexually abused by the occupiers came after a video surfaced of a Russian soldier captured by Ukrainian forces who appeared to be in possession of a stack of condoms.
Just 15 miles from downtown Kyiv, Irpin has been under devastating Russian bombardment for weeks.
Many of the city’s residents have fled, but many remain trapped after the city’s bridges were blown up and dozens of other civilians were killed while trying to escape.
Anastasia, who is now in western Lviv, said that she managed to escape from Irpen with her husband, but they were only able to take their passports, personal documents and three cats.
“I am afraid of silence, because you constantly expect something bad from her. I’m still afraid to go outside – I’m always looking for cover,” she said, explaining that she almost came under fire from a Russian mortar that exploded just 50 meters from where civilians fled.
Anastasia’s allegations that Russian soldiers raped women in Irpen and shot defenseless civilians echo accusations from a resident of Kherson, the first major city occupied by Vladimir Putin’s forces in southern Ukraine.
Svetlana Zorina, 27, told CNN earlier this month that she heard numerous reports from personal contacts that young women were being raped on the streets of Kherson.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian MP Vasilenko told reporters at a press briefing in the UK on Thursday that there were reports that Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv had raped elderly people who were unable to flee when Russian armored vehicles rained down on their towns.
Vasilenko is one of four women MPs who received special permission from President Volodymyr Zelensky to leave Ukraine amid the conflict.
Ukrainian MP Vasilenko told reporters at a press briefing in the UK on Thursday that there were reports that Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv had raped elderly people who were unable to flee when Russian armored vehicles rained down on their towns.
Members of the Ukrainian Parliament Olena Khomenko, Maria Mezentseva, Alona Shkrum and Lesya Vasilenko pose outside 10 Downing Street, London, UK, March 17, 2022. The deputies were given special permission to leave Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia.
Ms Vasilenko said they witnessed atrocities “on the most vulnerable of the vulnerable” before stating: “These women usually can’t get out.
“We are talking about Ukrainian pensioners. This is an extremely painful topic for us, but unfortunately, this is still the very beginning of the atrocities that will continue.
“Putin’s army is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba told a briefing at Chatham House earlier this month: “We have numerous cases, unfortunately, of Russian soldiers raping women in Ukrainian cities.”
The Minister called for the creation of a special tribunal to investigate and punish the Russian authorities for the behavior of their troops, saying that international law “is the only instrument of civilization available to us to make sure that in the end all those who made this war possible will be brought to justice” .
Allegations that Ukrainian women are being sexually abused by the occupiers came after a video surfaced of a Russian soldier captured by Ukrainian forces who appeared to be in possession of a stack of condoms.
A Russian soldier who identified himself as Dmitry Alekseevich Paramoshkin lies on the ground while Ukrainian captors interrogate him and take his documents.
As he turned his pockets inside out, a set of what looked like gold-wrapped condoms fell to the ground, raising suspicions that the St. Petersburg soldier may have been preparing for an opportunity to rape Ukrainian civilians.
The video was posted on the official telegram channel of the Find Yours website, an initiative of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry that allows Russian families to identify dead, wounded and captured military personnel.
A Russian soldier who identified himself as Dmitry Alekseevich Paramoshkin lies on the ground while Ukrainian captors interrogate him and take his documents.
As he turned his pockets inside out, a set of what looked like gold-wrapped condoms fell to the ground, raising suspicions that the St. Petersburg soldier may have been preparing for the opportunity to taunt Ukrainian civilians.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, announced in late February that the ministry had launched a “humanitarian project” to help Russians identify family members who had been sent to war in Ukraine.
The website 200rf.com, also known as Find Yours, posts images and videos of captured Russian soldiers, asking their families to leave a message for them or, for dead soldiers, organize a pick-up. their bodies.
Another government adviser, Vadim Denisenko, said of the project: “Citizens of Russia, you know that Russia started a war against Ukraine and 150,000 Russian troops crossed the borders of our state. Many of them, several thousand, are no longer alive, many were captured.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs launched the 200rf.com website – on this website we post photos and videos of the dead so that you can identify them.”