23/06/2026
🇱🇹🇺🇦 | ambasadoriaus L.Talat-Kelpšos kalba T.M.C. Asser Instituut įvykusiame renginyje “Truth Beneath Silence: Russia’s Weaponization of Sexual Violence Againat Men in Ukraine”.
Renginį ambasada organizavo kartu su Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of the Netherlands Truth Hounds International Bar Association ir kitais partneriais.
Kalba:
“Welcome address at Truth Beneath Silence: Russia’s Weaponization of Sexual Violence Against Men in Ukraine
The Asser Institute, 23 June 2026
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This morning, Russia struck Krivyi Rih in southern Ukraine. At least three civilians were killed and ten others severely wounded. In the Donetsk region, three more civilians were killed in an aerial bomb attack; three more died in the Sumy region, and one in the Kharkiv region. Russia also attacked Zaporizhzhia Oblast, destroying the Myklashevsky Estate—a unique 19th-century architectural and historical monument. Local heritage experts and historians now warn that it may be lost forever.
This is the kind of news with which we have grown accustomed to beginning our mornings over the past four years. It has become part of the daily routine of this war. Yet each of these reports is more than a number, more than another headline. Each points to possible war crimes by Russia—crimes that must be investigated, documented, and answered with justice.
Happily, over the past few months, another line of reporting has also emerged to become part of our morning ritual. Ukrainian forces have again struck oil terminals and transport infrastructure inside Russia, limiting Moscow’s logistics capacity and reducing the income that fuels its war machine. Ukraine’s European allies have found another window to move forward with new rounds of sanctions, further constraining Russia’s ability to continue its aggression. This is good news—and it is our duty to keep such news coming.
Yet behind this dominant picture, there are episodes that remain heavily underreported—and grave crimes that still go largely unattended.
Two recent accounts have stayed with me—and have deeply unsettled me recently. The first was reported by The Times on 16 June. It told the story of Sofia, a Ukrainian girl from a village in the Kharkiv region, where she lived with her disabled mother and two younger brothers. When Russian forces occupied the village, one soldier forced her into an impossible choice, threatening the lives of her family. What followed was not a single act of violence, but a prolonged ordeal of r**e, captivity, and psychological terror. Even after the Kharkiv region was liberated, Sofia was taken across the border by retreating Russian soldiers and kept for another year in isolation, where she was repeatedly r**ed by her abductor. Her nightmare ended only when the man who held her was detained by Russian authorities for desertion.
The second account comes from the UN Secretary-General’s report on conflict-related sexual violence, published on 21 April 2026. It describes sexual violence by Russian government forces against Ukrainians as “systemic,” including against male detainees. UN investigators verified 310 cases involving r**e and gang-r**e, ge***al mutilation, and applying electric shocks to ge***als. In two-thirds of cases, survivors were subjected to multiple forms of sexual violence; in more than half, the attacks were repeated. The UN found that such torture was used in “almost all” detention centers examined. And still, none of the perpetrators has been brought to justice—yet.
Tonight, another landmark report will be presented to us. It documents 212 male victims who were subjected to sexual violence by Russian forces while detained in the occupied parts of Ukraine. Russia’s war of aggression has opened wounds so deep that they will take decades to heal. As more evidence comes to light, our understanding of this cruelty will continue to grow. Some truths will be difficult to hear. For survivors, they may be even harder to speak. But they must be heard—because time may help wounds to heal, but silence never does.
This is why my government has chosen to co-sponsor this event on Russia’s weaponization of sexual violence against men in Ukraine. We want this issue to be seen, named, and understood. We know from our own history that impunity does not end suffering—it invites new crimes. And if we are serious about a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, then these heartbreaking stories cannot be pushed aside. Survivors must be met with dignity, compassion, and practical support. Their pain must be acknowledged, their voices protected, and their recovery made possible.
I want to thank our partners—Truth Hounds, the International Partnership for Human Rights, the Asser Institute, the Embassy of Ukraine, and others—for standing behind this important effort. Above all, I want to pay tribute to the survivor who has travelled a long way from Ukraine to share his story with us tonight. Coming forward takes immense courage. Listening to him is not only an act of respect; it is a call to accountability. We owe survivors more than sympathy. We owe them justice, support, and the assurance that their suffering will not be hidden, denied, or forgotten.
Having already done so much to support Ukraine, let us deliver on this account too.
Slava Ukraini!”
