Russia joins Myanmar and others on UN sexual violence blacklist

AFP

Russia on Thursday expressed outrage over its inclusion on a UN blacklist of parties accused of perpetrating sexual violence in conflict zones, calling it biased and aimed at discrediting Moscow.

Published annually by the United Nations, the list includes dozens of state and non-state groups credibly suspected of having engaged “systematically” in sexual violence in countries such as Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Mali.

“We are extremely disappointed…by the clearly biased and politicized decision of the UN secretary-general to include the Russian armed and security forces in the list,” the country’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters.

Antonio Guterres’s report “contains information on crimes that not only cannot be verified due to the absence of necessary data but also do not demonstrate a systemic nature of the alleged violations, which is a key criterion for listing,” he said.

Nebenzia criticized descriptions of incidents listed in the report as “superficial” and presented without proper analysis.

“It gives the impression that the document was prepared perfunctorily and intended to reach a predetermined outcome to discredit Russia and conceal the unlawful actions of the Kyiv regime,” he said.

Russian security forces were added to the sexual violence blacklist last week, with the UN noting that its inspectors have been routinely blocked by Moscow.

The secretary-general’s report detailed incidents of violence against prisoners of war, who provided testimony after their release.

The attacks took place in occupied Ukrainian territories and within Russia, perpetrated by armed forces and prison authorities, the report said.

Drawing on data from the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the report cited 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, genital mutilation, and electric shocks, committed overwhelmingly against men starting with the Russian invasion in 2022 through to 2025.

Although not included on the blacklist, Ukraine was blamed for 31 cases of sexual violence allegedly carried out by its security forces, particularly against prisoners of war.

Most of the assaults occurred prior to 2025, the report said, emphasizing that Kyiv has strengthened laws against such crimes and is allowing the UN to carry out investigations.

Israeli security forces were also added to the blacklist this year for alleged sexual violence against Palestinians detained in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Israel has denounced its inclusion and in response cut off communications with Guterres and his office.

AFP