By Galina Korol | 2025-04-24

KYIV -- Children are increasingly targets of brutal crimes in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, according to Russia's own Interior Ministry (MVD) and rights activists.

Occupying authorities in 2024 registered a total of 144 crimes against minors in Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia province, human rights activist Pavlo Lysianskyi, director of Ukraine's Institute for Strategic Studies and Security, said on Facebook April 15.

Shockingly, the authorities registered 87 sex crimes against minors, representing 60% of all crimes against children.

The data, drawn from Russia's MVD, point to a growing crisis of sexual violence in areas under Russian control, Lysianskyi said.

"The occupied territory is turning into a criminal zone where children become targets of violence," he said.

'It's horrible there'

Lysianskyi pointed to a rise in sex crimes against children in 2024 from the previous year.

"We're already seeing this abnormal increase in sexually motivated crimes. And that's just for Zaporizhzhia province," he told Kontur, noting that similar patterns had previously emerged in Luhansk and Donetsk provinces.

"These figures, used by the occupier's security agencies, are significantly understated," Lysianskyi added, citing the agencies' focus on suppressing dissent rather than on protecting civilians. "They are terrorizing the pro-Ukrainian population and catching 'spies.'"

"There's a certain taboo against taking any action against certain [Russian military] units," he said. "But a crime has already been committed. Someone has already been raped or robbed."

Even when authorities record crimes, punishment is rare and victims lack recourse.

Residents of "occupied territory don't feel safe at all," Ukrainian journalist Nikolay Osychenko, a former president of Mariupol Television, told Kontur.

He described broader lawlessness: rampant drug trafficking, illegal arms sales and even human trafficking, particularly by the Kadyrovites, the paramilitaries under Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.

"The problem is that nobody will even look for these people [those abducted by the Kadyrovites] now, because there's simply no record keeping in relation to missing persons ... It's horrible there," Osychenko said.

Impunity

The surge in crime across Russian-occupied territory is fueled by the unchecked presence of armed men with criminal backgrounds or histories of violence, say analysts.

"Deserters who have gone to the front and returned to the rear are not monitored by the authorities and pose a threat to the local population," said Lysianskyi.

"And if it's a murderer or someone like that -- he shows up, he's armed, he's been released ... He has no self-control."

Another group driving the violence are active or former military personnel, including those who fought in the so-called "special military operation" -- the Kremlin's euphemism for its invasion of Ukraine.

"That badge of theirs -- showing they're a combat veteran or served in the 'special military operation' -- gives them a free pass for impunity," the spokesperson for the National Resistance Center, using the call sign "Lipa," told Kontur.

"You can do whatever you want, and nothing will happen to you. Because you're a 'hero.' Because you're defending Russia. Because [abusing] a Ukrainian child is not a crime in the worldview of the 'Russian world' -- it's a display of power."

Rather than a spike in lawlessness, Lipa considers the violence a systemic outcome of Russia's occupation.

"In the civilized world, my personal freedom is protected -- you're not allowed to cross certain boundaries. But there, everything is completely different," Lipa said.

"The mentality of the 'Russian world' doesn't even allow for the idea that things like molestation or even verbal sexual harassment of a child are crimes."

Psychological terror

Journalist Osychenko links the rise in sexual violence under occupation to an influx of "newcomers."

Migrant workers brought in by the Russians often feel like overlords, perceiving even locals with Russian passports to be second-class citizens, he said.

"It's important to realize that, for Russians, all local residents are closet Ukrainians... they call everyone there 'zhduny,'" he explained, using the Russian slang term for Ukrainians pining for Ukraine to come back.

The National Resistance Center has documented cases of extreme abuse, including the rape of children as young as four. According to Lipa, this is not random brutality but a deliberate weapon of war.

In her view, a raped child means a broken life for an entire family.

"This is an integral part of the tactics implemented not only with weapons but also with psychological terror -- through fear. It is aimed at the total destruction of the local population."

Holding criminals accountable

Human rights activists agree: the only real protection for children is to leave occupied territory.

"If you have a child, he [or she] could be raped, killed or robbed. We recall Volnovakha, where [Russian] military personnel entered a home and killed [nine] people. Who was punished? Nobody," said Lysianskyi, referring to a massacre in October 2023. "There is no safety. If you want guarantees, leave."

When asked about the possibility of justice, Lipa was blunt: "There is complete lawlessness there [in occupied territory]."

"Even if someone does report [a crime], nothing will happen," she said. "The victim will be made to look guilty. Just like it was in the Soviet Union. This is still being forced on people."

Still, the National Resistance Center urges residents to report any acts of violence or rights violations to it or to other Ukrainian-controlled organizations.

"We are documenting everything and believe the day will come when every criminal is held accountable," Lipa said.