The United Nations has verified more than a hundred cases of rape or sexual assaults in Ukraine.
United Nations envoy Pramila Patten has stated that rapes and sexual assaults attributed to Moscow's forces in Ukraine are part of a Russian "military strategy and a deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims."
Pramila who is the UN special representative on sexual violence during an interview on Thursday told AFP that it's clearly a military strategy.
She explained that the victims are mostly women and girls, also men and boys, adding that reported cases are only the tip of the iceberg.
She said, "All the indications are there.
"When women are held for days and raped, when you start to rape little boys and men, when you see a series of genital mutilations, when you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it's clearly a military strategy.
"And when the victims report what was said during the rapes, it is clearly a deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims.
"The United Nations has verified more than a hundred cases of rape or sexual assaults in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, Ms Patten said, referring to a UN report released in late September.
"The report confirmed crimes against humanity committed by the Russian forces, and according to gathered testimonies, the age of the victims of sexual violence ranges from four to 82.”
"The victims are mostly women and girls, but also men and boys,” she added.
"But reported cases are only the tip of the iceberg.”
"It's very difficult to have reliable statistics during an active conflict, and the numbers will never reflect reality, because sexual violence is a silent crime that is largely underreported,” she added.