Two Russians receive verdicts in absentia for raping a pregnant woman and torturing a man during occupation in Kyiv Oblast

A court has found two Russian servicemen guilty of violating the laws and customs of war in absentia. The individuals were implicated in the brutal treatment of civilians who remained under occupation during the partial capture of Kyiv Oblast in 2022, as reported by the National Police of Ukraine.

Convicted Russians Khakimov and Salikhov. Photo: Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People

The convicted individuals are Rinat Khakimov and Arslan Salikhov, servicemen of the 6th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division of the Central Military District of the Russian Federation Armed Forces.

During the occupation of Kyiv Oblast, they spotted a pregnant woman on the street. Holding an assault rifle to her back, they forced her into a house where they subjected her to sexual violence. The victim, after the region’s liberation, decided to share her story.

According to her account, after being apprehended, she informed the Russians that she was pregnant and pleaded not to be harmed, but they ignored her plea. When she made her request, one of the suspects struck her in the face with an assault rifle, knocking out her teeth.

While one of the convicted men was committing the violence, the other sat watching a movie. When the victim lost consciousness, he revived her by pouring water on her, then proceeded to commit violence himself.

Ultimately, the woman lost her child.

Illustrative image of a 26-year-old Ukrainian woman who was a victim of rape by Russian servicemen in Kherson. Photo: Laura Boushnak / The New York Times

In addition to this incident, Khakimov and Salikhov were also accused of the unlawful detention of a civilian resident of Kyiv Oblast. After beating him, they forced him into labour. When the man was not engaged in carrying out their orders, he was tied to a radiator in the house or kept in a cellar. He spent four days in this condition and managed to escape during the shelling of Russian positions.

For the crimes committed, the court sentenced both Russians to 12 years of imprisonment.

The term of punishment for the convicted individuals will commence from the date of their actual detention. Both are still alive, as indicated by data (1, 2) from the “Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People.”

Sexual violence perpetrated by Russian military personnel in Ukraine is part of Russia’s “military strategy,” as stated by the UN. The majority of known victims of sexual violence are women who were alone at home.

ZMINA has reported on some identified Russian servicemen suspected of committing such crimes, including:

• Shamil Makhmudov, who raped a woman during the occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast;
• Artem Pronchenko and Oleksandr Gladkov, who may have abducted, beaten, and raped a mother of two children during the occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast;
• Roman Popov, suspected of raping an illegally imprisoned man in Kherson;
• Yevhen Chornoknyzhnyi and Vadym Shakhmatov, suspected of a series of rapes in Kyiv Oblast in 2022;
• Oleksandr Radnatarov, Kyrylo Kholmurzayev, and Belikt Zhugdurov, who are suspected of raping a woman in Kyiv Oblast, threatening to kill her mother and child;
• Akhmerov Emil, Mammi Mammiev, and Kostiantyn Shliapnikov, who in 2022 abducted and raped a woman from her home in Kharkiv Oblast;
• Bail Bardanov, suspected of raping a woman in Kyiv Oblast;
• Bulat Fassakhov, suspected of committing rape over several days in Kyiv Oblast;
• Mykhailo Romanov, accused of raping a woman in the village of Shevchenkove in Kyiv Oblast. This case was among the first of its kind to become public knowledge in the media.

Due to the large number of established facts of sexual violence, Ukraine is seeking to include Russia in the UN’s “list of shame” to prevent Russian military personnel from committing similar acts in other countries.