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Kseniya Kvitka photo

Kseniya Kvitka

Kseniya Kvitka is an assistant researcher at Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia Division.

Articles

A Ukrainian soldier hugs his partner

Opinion: Silent victims of sexual violence, Ukraine’s male POWs deserve real support

by Kseniya Kvitka
This article contains descriptions of physical and sexual violence, which may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. Forced nudity during “welcome beatings,” naked “crouch walking,” and gratuitous stripping and body cavity searches are but a few examples of the abuse Viktor Lakhno, 26, a former prisoner of war (POW), endured in Russian custody. Ukrainian men detained by Russian and Russian-affiliated forces, including prisoners of war, regularly report that their captors,