For a long time, sexualized violence in war was discussed primarily in the context of crimes against women. However, the events of the past four years in Ukraine have laid bare another, extremely grim reality: men are constantly and systematically falling victim to this type of violence. Human rights activists and international investigators emphasize that these are not random acts of violence by perpetrators, but rather a coordinated policy of torture that constitutes a crime against humanity.
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Present Tense reported, how sexualized violence perpetrated by Russian military personnel affects men and queer people differently, and how survivors are helped to cope with the consequences of physical and psychological trauma.
Warning: This text contains scenes of violence.
Numbers That Hide the Truth
Official statistics from the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine as of now records 146 criminal cases involving sexualized violence against men. That is almost half the number of cases in which the victims are women. But these figures are just the tip of the iceberg.
According to human rights organizations such as Truth Hounds and the Global Survivors Fund, the number of men seeking help is actually significantly exceeds the number of women affected. Men are simply not willing to speak out about it publicly.
"Tapik" and Attacks on Identity
Reports coming from official prisons, secret detention centers, and filtration camps paint a grim picture. The most common form of violence is— Electroshock torture of the genitals. About 80% мужчин...who were held captive in Russia describe the use of the Soviet TA-57 field telephone (“tapika”), the wires of which are attached to the genitals and anus.
“Угрозы направлены на то, чтобы унизить человека и заставить его что-то сделать. Это попытка воздействовать на мужественность, самопонимание человека, его самоидентификацию. Например сказать [пленному], что ты больше не будешь мужчиной, или если ты этого не сделаешь или ничего нам не расскажешь, то у тебя не будет детей. И здесь мы можем выдвинуть различные квалификационные критерии в судах. Это может быть пытка, это может быть сама кастрация как неправомерное деяние. Это также может быть частью более широкой квалификации геноцида”, — says Andrei Latsyba, a lawyer for the organization Truth Hounds.
The Wall of Silence and Social Stigma
The main reason why the true scale of the tragedy remains hidden is— conservative views on masculinity. It is incredibly difficult for male victims to admit to investigators that they have been sexually assaulted.
For many people, it is “easier” to say that they were “just beaten and tortured” than to talk about rape or sexual humiliation.
They often form closed-door groups of survivors where they feel safe, but they avoid interacting with the authorities for fear of reliving those emotions or facing the public scrutiny of a trial.
What happens to queer people held captive in Russia?
Abuse of queer people by the Russian military in the occupied territories of Ukraine is systematic and often directly linked to their sexual or gender identity. According to sources, Russian security forces use homophobia as a tool for psychological pressure and humiliation.
The Russian military carried out targeted raids on the headquarters of LGBTQ organizations in the Kyiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions. Members of these organizations were identified by having their phones and personal belongings searched at checkpoints or during house searches.
There is a documented case of Kherson activist Alexei Polukhin, who was forced while in captivity to wear a red polka-dot women’s dress and “spin around” in front of the occupiers. He was also forced to undress so they could search for “pro-Ukrainian” tattoos.
Queer people are systematically subjected to threats of rape and murder. Members of the military harass them, using their sexual orientation or HIV status as a pretext for abuse.
In the Kherson region, a so-called “faggot cell” was set up in one of the prisons, where men were exclusively raped. Other civilian prisoners were threatened with transfer to this cell if they did not comply with the occupiers’ demands.
Even if the victim is not a queer person, the Russian military uses insults that associate the victim with homosexuality to reinforce stigma and break the person’s will during torture.
UN investigators characterize such actions as part of a coordinated policy of systematic torture and crime against humanity.
The Path to Recognition: Status Is More Important Than Money
Today, aid to victims is primarily provided by nongovernmental organizations. The Global Survivors Fund (GSF) pays interim reparations in the amount of 3,000 euros those whose cases have been confirmed. As of early 2026, more than 1,200 people had already sought such assistance.
However, experts note that for men, the most important aspect of this process is not so much financial support as official victim status. This recognition by the state helps to alleviate feelings of shame, ease some of the severe trauma, and set in motion the process of reintegrating the individual into society.
Justice Without Amnesty
To date, 17 in absentia convictions have been handed down in Ukraine against Russian military personnel for sexual violence. And although identifying the specific perpetrators is extremely difficult under wartime conditions, human rights activists insist that there is no statute of limitations for these crimes.
Experts describe any attempts to include a “full amnesty” for war crimes in future peace agreements as a red line. Without punishment for such atrocities, peace cannot be sustainable, and impunity will only pave the way for new crimes of aggression.
The following sources were used in the preparation of this article: Material "Nastoyashchee Vremya" publication
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