Ukrainian women raped by the Russian military will receive compensation

Ukrainian women who were raped by Russian soldiers will be able to receive compensation for physical and moral harm. About it reported wife of the President of Ukraine Elena Zelenskaya. According to her, the first payments will be made in the coming weeks.

Speaking at an international conference in Kyiv on the problem of sexual violence in war, Zelenskaya called the payment of compensation to victims not only economic support, but also a step towards restoring justice. She emphasized that victims of violence cannot wait for the conflict to be resolved or for Russia to start paying reparations – they need help now. “We cannot undo the pain that the aggressor has already caused, but we can become a painkiller. We can show that not everyone in the world is rapists and murderers, that there is help, support and justice,” she said.

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Olga Stefanishina presented compensation project. According to it, the case of each victim will be assessed individually. As part of the pilot project, about 500 victims of violence will be able to receive one-time compensation until the end of October this year.

Formerly Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Sergei Kislitsa statedthat Russian troops widely and systematically use sexual violence as a weapon of war and torture. Both women and men, as well as the elderly and children of both sexes, are subject to violence during the war. According to Kislitsa, currently the investigative authorities of Ukraine have recorded at least 290 cases of sexual violence, from which 102 men and 188 women suffered. The real number of victims may be much higher, since many of them choose not to talk about what happened to them.