Current Wars in the World See UN Report 89 Percent of Sexual Violence Cases Attributed to Russia in Ukraine
In the context of current wars in the world, Russian forces have committed widespread sexual violence including gang rape and electric shocks in Ukraine, accounting for 89% of 1,004 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence documented by the UN between February 2022 and July 2026. [4]
UN Documents Widespread Sexual Violence in Ukraine
The UN human rights office report documented 1,004 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence between February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and July 2026. [4] Of those cases, 89% were attributed to the Russian side, including members of the armed forces, prison service and security agencies, while 11% were linked to Ukraine, including members of the Ukrainian armed forces. [4] The report cautioned that the findings were not comprehensive because conflict-related sexual violence remains significantly under-reported. [4] It said Russia’s refusal to grant the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights access to occupied Ukrainian territory, prisoners of war and civilian detainees meant the figures likely underestimate the true scale of the violations. [4] Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement it welcomed the publication of the report, which it said showed the scale of the human rights violations perpetrated by Russia and the measures being taken by Ukraine to prevent such violence and compensate victims. [4] Russia’s permanent diplomatic mission in Geneva declined to comment on the report. [4] “I am deeply alarmed by the prevalence of these abhorrent acts documented in our report, and fear that they are almost certainly continuing amid the unceasing violence we are witnessing every day in Ukraine,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. [4]
Details of Russian Violations Against Prisoners and Civilians
In occupied areas of Ukraine and within Russia, Russian authorities carried out sexual violence against Ukrainian prisoners of war and detained civilians at all stages of captivity, including during capture, transfer, interrogation and detention, the report said. [4] Violations included gang rape, rape, genital mutilation and the use of electric shocks on men’s genitals with a Soviet-era field telephone known as a “tapik”. [4] The findings were based on interviews with victims of sexual violence committed by both sides. [4] Most victims in detention were men, particularly prisoners of war and detainees, although women and children were also affected, mainly in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. [4] “Sexual violence in conflict is often misunderstood to be mainly affecting women and girls, where in the Ukraine war context, the majority of survivors are men,” Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said. [4] “And men and women require different solutions and approaches to their recovery,” she said. [4] The report concluded that Russia had failed to take steps to prevent, investigate or prosecute sexual violence committed by its personnel and had not engaged with OHCHR’s requests for information. [4]
Ukrainian Side Violations and Government Response
In Ukrainian government-controlled territory, nearly half of the violations attributed to Ukrainian authorities against Russian and third-country prisoners of war and detainees involved threats of sexual violence and beatings to genitals. [4] OHCHR said it did not document any cases of rape of Russian POWs by Ukrainian forces. [4] OHCHR said Russian and third-country prisoners of war reported sexual violence in 10 official detention facilities and 55 unofficial or transit locations. [4] The Ukrainian government had taken some steps to prevent such violations and had cooperated with OHCHR’s requests, although efforts to ensure accountability remained limited, it added. [4]
Yemen Escalation and Battle for Bab al-Mandab
The latest escalation in Yemen has thrust the Bab al-Mandab Strait into the global spotlight as a new flashpoint, following the Houthis' significant territorial gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast and around the strategic waterway. [5] On Sept. 10, the Houthi group seized the Red Sea port city of Mocha in southwestern Taiz province, forcing government troops to withdraw southward toward Dhubab, between Mocha and Bab al-Mandab. [5] A day later, the group captured Dhubab and seized the Mayun Island at the heart of Bab al-Mandab after government forces pulled farther south into neighboring Lahj province. [5] Following the developments, the government forces and the Houthis engaged in heavy clashes near the strait, with casualties reported on both sides. [5] According to military officials from both sides who spoke on condition of anonymity, fighting has raged fiercely since Wednesday across the Kahbub mountain area and surrounding heights in Lahj, where Houthi members launched a renewed push against government defensive positions. [5] Both sides have sent additional fighters, weapons and military vehicles into the area, raising the prospect of further heavy fighting for control of positions overlooking approaches to Bab al-Mandab. [5] Bab al-Mandab, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, acts as a critical maritime chokepoint connecting the Gulf of Aden to the southern end of the Red Sea, forming an indispensable artery for global energy shipments and international trade moving to and from the Suez Canal. [5] Analysts say that, amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz caused by the Iran-U.S. conflict, the struggle for control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait is no longer simply about territorial gains inside Yemen. [5] "The battle for Bab al-Mandab is not simply about gaining territory inside Yemen," Aden-based political analyst Muqbil Naji told Xinhua. [5] "Whoever can threaten this waterway acquires leverage that extends well beyond Yemen's borders." [5]
Other Active Conflicts
Ukraine's Skelia Regiment evacuates 21 soldiers from encirclement. [1] The 425th Assault Regiment planned and carried out a combat operation to evacuate the servicemen from the 159th Brigade. [1] As a result, 21 servicemen were evacuated from the combat zone. [1] During the assault, the fighters destroyed Russian positions and captured several Russian soldiers. [1] Sudanese army says it killed RSF fighters, destroyed 9 vehicles in Blue Nile. [2] Military says preemptive attack south of Al-Keili area inflicted heavy losses on paramilitary force. [2] In the West Bank, the village of Al Mughayyir has lost seven residents through the last year, killed by settlers or by the Israeli military. [3] Just this month two young men were killed. [3] A family in another village was forced to leave their houses after 95 days when a gang of aggressive young men surrounded the property and cut off food, water and electricity. [3] Israel's high court has ruled in favor of the family, ordering the intruders to leave by 22 September. [3]
What to watch next: Fighting has remained fluid near Bab al-Mandab with several commanding heights changing hands during attacks and counterattacks, while both sides continue sending additional fighters and weapons into the area.
