Russian Soldiers Raped Dozens, Impregnated 9 in Bucha Basement—Ukraine Says

Multiple women were raped during Russia's occupation of Bucha with nine of them becoming pregnant, Ukrainian authorities have alleged.

Bucha, a town just outside of Kyiv, was occupied by Russian soldiers for several weeks following Putin's invasion of the country.

Following a retreat by the Russian army, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has accused Russian forces of committing acts of severe violence and torture against the civilians during this time.

Ukraine's ombudswoman for human rights, Lyudmyla Denisova, spoke to the BBC and highlighted the alleged sexual violent crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

She also alleged that soldiers intended to commit these acts in hopes of traumatizing these women to the point they would not want children in the future.

"About 25 girls and women aged 14-24 were systematically raped during the occupation in the basement of one house in Bucha," Denisova said, according to a BBC report.

"Nine of them are pregnant. Russian soldiers told them they would rape them to the point where they wouldn't want sexual contact with any man, to prevent them from having Ukrainian children."

Denisova was asked about the scale of alleged sexual violence Ukrainians have faced following the Russian invasion and said that, at this stage, it was impossible to know.

"It is impossible at the moment because not everyone is willing to tell us what happened to them," she said.

"The majority of them currently call for psychological support, so we cannot record those as crimes unless they give us their testimony."

Denisova also said that she was receiving calls through helplines as well as through channels on the Telegram social messaging app.

"A 25-year-old woman called to tell us her 16-year-old sister was raped in the street in front of her," Denisova said.

"She said they were screaming 'This will happen to every Nazi prostitute' as they raped her sister"

The accusations of rape and war crimes from Russian soldiers against Ukrainians have garnered international attention and condemnation.

Reports of increased incidents of rape and sexual violence were discussed during a meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday. The UN Women executive director expressed concerns after Kateryna Cherepakha, president of the human rights organization La Strada-Ukraine, reportedly told the council that "violence and rape is used now as a weapon of war by Russian invaders in Ukraine."

"We are increasingly hearing of rape and sexual violence," U.N. Women executive director Sima Bahous said in the meeting.

"The combination of mass displacement with the large pressure results of conscripts and mercenaries and the brutality displayed against Ukrainian civilians has raised all red flags."

The UN Women's Twitter page also addressed the ongoing crisis and demanded it stop.

"We condemn the rapes and sexual violence in Ukraine. They must be urgently investigated," UN Women tweeted on Monday.

"The perpetrators must be held accountable. The UN is bolstering protection and response services together with local women organizations. The violence must end NOW."

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that Russian soldiers have committed war crimes or sexual assaults during the invasion of Ukraine.

Newsweek has contacted the Ukraine Ministry of Defense and Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.