'I Don't Want To Live': Ukrainian Soldier's Wife Says Russian Troops Raped Her

KEY POINTS

The unidentified woman, who is a mother of four children, was raped on April 3
Women's rights organization La Strada said the story of the victim is similar to several cases documented by them
It has received reports of at least seven such cases since the war began

A woman in Ukraine has been allegedly raped by two Russian soldiers after they followed her home when they identified her as the wife of a Ukrainian soldier. The victim, a mother of four children, said she wanted to die after the horrific ordeal that lasted for hours.

The woman, whose real name was not revealed, said she stayed back in her hometown in the city of Zaporizhzhia, in the Kherson region, after sending her four children to a safe place in central Ukraine on the first day of the Russian invasion, South China Morning Post reported.

The woman then packed her belongings to shift them to a safe place while her husband worked on the frontline. However, as the war escalated, she had to stay back and could not join her children as planned.

The brutal assault reportedly happened on April 3 when two Russian soldiers, who spotted her at a shop, identified her as the wife of a Ukrainian soldier.

The woman said one local resident pointed at her and told the Russian soldiers: "She's the wife of a soldier. She's a banderovka! It's because of those kinds of people that the war broke out."

The term "Banderovka" refers to Ukrainian wartime nationalist leader Stepan Bandera, who helped Nazi Germany to fight against the Soviet Union. The Russian officials often use the term to refer to Ukrainians with nationalist views, the Straits Times reported.

The woman soon sensed the danger and left the store but the soldiers followed her into her house.

"I didn't have time to get out my phone to call for help or to do anything. Without a word, they pushed me onto the bed. They held me down with a rifle and stripped me," the heartbroken woman recollected.

"They didn't say much. Sometimes they called me 'banderovka' or they said 'your turn to each other. Then, at 4 a.m, they left because it was their turn to be on duty at their camp," she added.

The young woman, who is a midwife, treated herself after the brutal assault as she could not take help from any doctor or therapist. "Disgusting. Very disgusting. I don't want to live," the woman said, the incident left her completely broken.

However, she believes Ukraine "will take revenge" once they recapture the areas that are now under the Russian army. "I will point the finger at the people who singled me out. I will point them out to my husband," she added.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian branch of La Strada, a women's rights organization, said the story of the victim is similar to several cases documented by them and accused Russia of using rape as a "weapon of war" in Ukraine.

The organization has received calls on its helpline about seven cases of rape since the war began. "There could be hundreds or thousands of women and young girls who have been raped," said Alina Kryvoulyak, a representative for the women's rights group.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.