For the first 50 days, I was kept in a torture chamber in Izolyatsia prison,” shared Liudmila Huseynova. “In this place, you become a person without rights. From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., you stand with a sack covering your head, and your hands in cuffs. You can get beaten for no reason. Your blood freezes as you hear the screams from others held in captivity, thinking maybe you’ll be next.”

INSET: Izolyatsia is a prison that was created on the basis of urban space after the capture of Donetsk by Russian troops in 2014.

Liudmyla is from Novoazovsk, a Ukrainian border city temporarily occupied by Russia, and cared for orphaned and semi-orphaned children until she was detained in October 2019. Her refusal to accept Russian control led to her arrest, followed by more than three years of detention and torture.

In a recent UN Women interview, Liudmyla  recounted the torture and systematic sexual violence against Ukrainian women by Russian authorities. Over two years into the Russian Federation´s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and 10-year war against Ukraine, Ukrainian women activists and survivors are breaking their silence, and leading efforts to let survivors know they are not forgotten.

Impact of conflict-related sexual violence on Ukrainian civilians

“On the second floor, they had a dormitory for the Russian military; between deployments, they stayed there. Young girls would be woken up at night and taken from their cells to the second floor. When they returned, they cried,” said Liudmyla Huseynova.

According to her, women were often raped by soldiers under promises of seeing their children or getting food.

In 2023, the United Nations reported 3,688 cases of conflict-related sexual violence globally—a staggering 50 per cent increase from the previous year. In Ukraine, from 24 February 2022  to31 August 2024, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (UNHRMMU) has documented 342 cases (236 men, 94 women, 10 girls, and 2 boys) of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by members of the Russian armed forces, law enforcement authorities and in detention centre, whilst the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has documented 321 incidents (206 women, 115 men, 15 girls and one boy) perpetrated by the Russian armed forces as of 1 October 20241. As Russia´s war against Ukraine continues, Ukrainian women and children are facing displacement, economic hardship, and gender-based violence.

From Izolyatsia, Liudmyla  was later transferred to a pre-trial detention center in the temporarily occupied Donetsk, where she was charged with “espionage.” She recalls the terrible conditions at the Donetsk Detention Center No. 5, where she shared a cell with 20 other women in a small, unsanitary cell, at constant risk of disease.

Luidmyla Huseynova endured three years and 13 days in Russia’s captivity before her release in a prisoner exchange on October 17, 2022.

“Civilian men could be  also detained, held captive, tortured, and raped,” Liudmyla shared. “But for women, the hardest part is being separated from their children.” She mentioned many women who had lost contact with their families and children over the years of detention.

From survivors to advocates and role models: Ukrainian women lead efforts to support survivors

“On 15th October, they brought us out of the cell without explanation. They told us nothing, covered our eyes, tied our hands, and put us in a truck,” Luidmyla  described, recounting a journey toward freedom filled with uncertainty, hunger, and thirst.

Since her release, Liudmyla has dedicated herself to advocating for detained Ukrainian civilians in Russian-occupied territories through SEMA Ukraine, a women-led network of women survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.

Today, Ukrainian women are at the forefront of resilience and recovery efforts, holding their communities together despite the war’s toll. Women-led organizations fill critical gaps in Ukraine’s strained social support systems by providing shelter, psychosocial support, healthcare, and safeguarding families. They are also advocating for laws and policies to support women and their families, and to counter trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation. With one in every two businesses founded by a woman, Ukrainian women are crucial to the country’s recovery.

“I’m doing everything I can to help these women because I remember their tears, the eyes I looked into. We will use every means to make their pain visible and make sure that everyone knows about them,” said Huseynova.

Supporting Ukraine’s women: What you can do

“Let the world know of these women—their names, faces, and the unbelievable violence they endure. Share this information with those who have influence over Russia,” urged Liudmyla.

For the women of Ukraine, ending Russia’s occupation, securing the release of detained civilians, and enabling humanitarian actors to reach detainees are crucial goals. Liudmyla recently attended a training of trainers for women paralegals working with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, organized by UN Women and its partner, Association of Ukrainian Women Lawyers “JurFem”. She found the training invaluable for helping others with legal referrals, document recovery, and directing survivors through the judicial process.

UN Women has been working with women’s organizations in Ukraine since 2016. In 2023, UN Women partnered with more than 40 women’s organizations, reaching 100,000 women and their families across the country. Sustained investment, including through direct flexible funding, in these organizations is critical to Ukraine’s recovery.

Photo: Association of Women Lawyers of Ukraine “JurFem” / Bohdan Yemets