A Ukrainian lawmaker on Thursday said that rape is “happening systematically” in areas occupied by Russia, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
Kira Rudyk, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, told CBS News that rape is being used by Russia as a way to break the spirits of Ukrainians.
She said sexual violence is “systematic in all the areas that were occupied by the Russians.”
“Rape is used as a tool of war in Ukraine to break our spirits, to humiliate us and to show us that we can be helpless to protect our women and children and their bodies,” Rudyk said.
“It is happening systematically in the occupied territories,” she added.
The lawmaker added that some victims of rape by Russian soldiers are now pregnant.
Rape that occurs during a conflict can be considered a war crime and a crime against humanity in accordance with international law, according to CBS News. The act can also be considered part of genocide if it is connected to the aim of removing a group.
The United Nations on Monday said there has been an increased number of allegations of rape and sexual violence involving Ukrainian women who are attempting to escape from the Russian invasion.
Ukrainian officials say they are now looking into claims that Russian soldiers raped a woman after they killed her husband.
One rape victim who spoke to CBS News — an 83-year-old woman named Vera — said “I wish he had killed me instead of what he did.”
Russia has been accused of committing a number of other war crimes in Ukraine in addition to rape, including targeted killings of thousands of civilians, targeted destruction of civilian buildings and blocking humanitarian aid to Ukrainians.