Some Russian commanders knew of sexual violence or encouraged it, says lawyer advising Kyiv

Viktoriia, 42, points to debris left behind by occupying Russian soldiers in a field near Berestianka, Ukraine, July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Joanna Plucinska

KYIV (Reuters) - There is evidence that Russian commanders in several instances were aware of sexual violence by military personnel in Ukraine “and in some cases, encouraging it or even ordering it,” according to an international criminal lawyer assisting Kyiv’s war crimes investigations.

British lawyer Wayne Jordash told Reuters that in some areas around the capital of Kyiv in the north, where the probes are most advanced, some of the sexual violence involved a level of organisation by Russian armed forces that “speaks to planning on a more systematic level.” He didn’t identify specific individuals under scrutiny.