[Stock photograph] UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on September 19, 2023, in New York City. Heads of states and governments from at least 145 countries are gathered for the 78th UNGA session amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and fires around the globe. (Photo credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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On October 28, 2025, several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and survivor-led groups sent an urgent letter to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres calling upon him to ensure that the forthcoming Annual Report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) lists relevant actors of the Russian Federation as parties credibly suspected of patterns of CRSV. In August 2025, in another report on the issue, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres put Russia on notice that their armed forces and security personnel could be listed among parties credibly suspected of committing sexual violence in its war on Ukraine. As the notice noted, the Secretary-General was “gravely concerned about credible information of violations by Russian armed and security forces and affiliated armed groups, perpetrated primarily against Ukrainian prisoners of war, in 50 official and 22 unofficial detention facilities in Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” This notice was included in the appendix of the report. However, the report did not proceed to the formal listing of relevant actors of the Russian Federation as a party credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the agenda of the U.N. Security Council.
In response, over 25 NGOs and survivor-led groups wrote to the U.N. Secretary-General, calling upon him to rectify the failure, referring to evidence supporting the listing of Russian actors, evidence which clearly meets the established criteria of the U.N. listing framework for CRSV, as set out in U.N. Security Council Resolutions. As the NGOs emphasize, “Verified cases documented by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine indicate systematic and widespread sexual violence, including sexualized torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities affecting civilians and prisoners of war. These findings have been judicially corroborated by the European Court of Human Rights, which determined that sexual violence, including rape, was deployed by the Russian state in Ukraine as part of a military strategy and characterized the use of rape in this context as an act of extreme atrocity that amounts to torture.” These violations continue to be documented, including in testimonies from former detainees describing patterns consistent with the systematic and widespread use of sexualized torture.
As the authors of the letter argue, the evidence collected by U.N. mechanisms so far is enough to meet the requirements for listing. Having access to all this data and evidence collected means that it becomes unjustifiable for the U.N. to leave Russia out of the listing. As the NGOs also warn, uneven application of such listings sends victims/survivors the message that accountability depends on political context rather than principles of justice. A victim/survivor-centered response to the atrocities requires action on credible evidence that ensures victims/survivors’ participation, safety and confidentiality, access to services and remedy, and measures that prevent recurrence.
Despite being put on notice in August and despite several other U.N. reports and statements on the use of sexual violence in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Russian leadership has not done anything to address the atrocities or commit to cooperating and prevent further violations. On the contrary, as the NGOs emphasize, Russia continues to resort to CRSV, and more and more often – to sexualized torture. Recent estimates suggest that approximately 1,800 Ukrainian civilians remain in detention by the Russian Federation in occupied territories alongside thousands of prisoners of war, where they are likely to be subjected to such atrocities.
Considering the ever-growing use of CRSV by Russia, there is no justification to keep Russia off the listing. If the Secretary-General is unable to list relevant actors of the Russian Federation as parties credibly suspected of patterns of CRSV, an explanation is needed on why. What evidence is missing? Victims/survivors of such horrific atrocities deserve explanation.