Enforced disappearances committed by Russian authorities amount to crimes against humanity, says UN Commission of Inquiry

Russian authorities detained large numbers of civilians in all provinces where they took control of areas in Ukraine. Victims included local authorities, civil servants, journalists, and others they perceived as a threat to their military objectives in Ukraine. Many prisoners of war were also victims of enforced disappearances.

Russian authorities often transferred the victims to detention facilities in Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine or deported them to the Russian Federation. There, they also subjected them to other grave violations and crimes, including torture and sexual violence. Many persons have been missing for months, or years. Some have died. The fate and whereabouts of many remain unknown, leaving their families in agonizing uncertainty. 

In response to inquiries from families of missing persons, Russian authorities at different levels provided standard replies, which systematically failed to communicate the fate or whereabouts of those disappeared. The failure to disclose information about the victims to their families also shows the intention of the Russian authorities to deprive the victims of the protection of the law. 

The evidence gathered led the Commission to conclude that the enforced disappearances against civilians were perpetrated pursuant to a coordinated state policy and amount to crimes against humanity. 

Victims’ families experienced prolonged anguish without information about their loved ones and undertook significant risks searching for them. A young woman, whose father had disappeared after being detained by Russian authorities in March 2022, stated, “Why do they hide my father? He is a civilian with serious mental health issues. What do they want from him? […] Living in this nightmare, not knowing if he is alive, if he’s being treated well or receiving medical care, is unbearable.” In another instance, a young man was detained and beaten when he went to the authorities to enquire about his missing girlfriend. 

The Commission previously concluded that Russian authorities have used torture as crimes against humanity. Its recent investigations further confirmed that when personnel of the Federal Security Service were present in detention facilities, they exercised the highest authority. They committed or ordered torture at various stages of detention, and in particular during interrogations, when some of the most brutal treatment was inflicted. 

A 56-year-old former detainee recounted that Federal Security Service officers ordered electric shocks to be administered to him and said, “Old man, do not think that you will be spared because of your age. Go back to your cell and think carefully about your answers. And if your brain doesn’t work, we will bring your granddaughters here and we will beat the truth out of you in front of them”. 

The Commission has previously described the systematic use of sexual violence as a form of torture by Russian authorities in detention facilities, mostly against men. It has now documented new cases of rape and sexual violence amounting to torture against detained women. Russian authorities subjected female detainees to sexual violence, including rape, and inhuman conditions reflecting the gendered nature and impact of the treatment inflicted on women in detention. A woman, who was victim of gang rape and other acts of violence stated, “It is extremely painful to relive that day over and over, the pain is always there. People say that time heals… it does not. I can’t sleep well; I have severe mental and physical issues. I keep wondering what I could have done differently to avoid all of that.” 

The Commission examined a growing number of incidents in which Russian armed forces killed or wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were captured or attempted to surrender. This constitutes war crimes. The investigators have been able to interview soldiers who deserted from the Russian armed forces. Several of them told the Commission that they had received orders not to take prisoners but kill them instead. This points to a coordinated policy. For instance, one former Russian soldier stated that in a meeting, a deputy brigade commander told the entire regiment, “Prisoners are not needed, shoot them on the spot.” 

The Commission has found that both parties to the armed conflict, using drones, killed or wounded visibly injured soldiers who could no longer defend themselves. This is a war crime.   

The report also describes some violations of human rights law committed by Ukrainian authorities against persons they accused of collaboration with Russian authorities.  

After three years of the full-scale invasion, many victims have endured grave violations and crimes. The Commission again stresses the importance of judicial and non-judicial accountability in all its forms, which contribute to the sustainability of peace processes.

The report presented to the UN Human Rights Council can be found here.

Background: The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to, among other things, investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and related crimes in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The Commission will submit reports of its activities to the General Assembly in October 2024, and to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2025. The Commission comprises Erik Møse (Chair), Pablo de Greiff and Vrinda Grover.

More information on the work of the Commission can be found at the link.  

For media requests and queries, please contact: Saule Mukhametrakhimova, Media Adviser, Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, at saule.mukhametrakhimova@un.org or (+43-1) 26060-83450 or (+43-676) 3493464; or Todd Pitman, Media Adviser for the UN Human Rights Council’s Investigative Missions, todd.pitman@un.org or (+41) 76 691 1761; or Pascal Sim, Human Rights Council Media Officer, at simp@un.org.