Russian soldiers are supplied with Viagra to rape Ukrainian women and 'dehumanize' them, claims UN official
Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images
- A UN official told AFP Russian soldiers are being supplied with Viagra to rape Ukrainian women.
- Pramila Patten, the UN special representative on sexual violence, says it's "clearly a military strategy."
- She said the UN had verified more than 100 rape or sexual assault cases since Russia invaded Ukraine.
A United Nations official claimed on Friday that Russian soldiers are being supplied with Viagra to rape Ukrainian women and "dehumanize" them, AFP News Agency reported.
According to Pramila Patten, the UN's special representative on sexual violence in conflict, it is a "deliberate tactic" and part of a "military strategy."
"When women are held for days and raped, when you start to rape little boys and men, when you see a series of genital mutilations, when you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it's clearly a military strategy," Patten told AFP, per France 24.
"And when the victims report what was said during the rapes, it is clearly a deliberate tactic to dehumanize the victim," Patten continued.
Patten said the UN had verified more than 100 cases of rape or sexual assault in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. She added that the number of reported cases is "only the tip of the iceberg" because sexual violence largely goes underreported in conflicts.
The victims are primarily women, she said, but it also includes men and kids.
Last month, UN investigators concluded in a report that Russian troops have raped children — some as young as four years old.
Last week, a Ukrainian woman told The Washington Post that she was raped and tortured by Russian soldiers in Izium. Alla, 52, gave a detailed account of the 10 days she and her husband were held captive.
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