The United Nations took an unprecedented decision last Friday by formally adding the armies of Israel and Russia to its so-called “blacklist” of states suspected of systematically committing acts of sexual violence in conflict zones.
The inclusion of both powers appears in the annual report presented by the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and coordinated by his special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten. The authorities of Moscow and Tel Aviv have already appeared since 2023 and 2024 on another restrictive UN list, which evaluates violations against children in times of war (the list of countries that murder or mutilate children and attack schools), but this is the first time that they have been officially linked to the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
The document reveals, in general, an alarming reality, new additions aside: reports of sexual violence in war scenarios doubled worldwide during the last year compared to the previous period. It exhaustively documents cases of rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, forced marriages, genital mutilation and human trafficking. In total, the list points to 15 state actors and 62 non-state actors operating in 21 countries affected by war.
As indicated, the scourge of sexual violence as a weapon of war is not limited to a single victim profile. Although women and girls remain the main targets – with ages ranging from one year to 70 – the report highlights a significant increase in abuse against men, boys and people from the LGBTQI+ community. Many of these cases have been recorded in detention centers as a deliberate methodology of torture.
Patten warned in his appearance that these attacks are often accompanied by “extreme physical abuse,” including murders following the rapes or high rates of suicide among survivors.
The reasons about Israel…
In the case of one of the new developments, Israel, the report details abuses committed by state agents against Palestinian civilians and detainees. The complaints collected by the United Nations include rape, beatings and electric shocks specifically directed at the genitals of prisoners. Minors, journalists and human rights activists have been identified among the victims.
The UN verified incidents of conflict-related sexual violence (also used as a form of torture) against 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl. The abuses included rape (individual and gang, sometimes with objects), forced nudity, physical abuse, and shots aimed at the genitals. In several cases, the attacks were filmed or photographed.
Most of these abuses occurred during arrests and interrogations, in different detention centers, police stations and prisons, but also during military operations and at checkpoints. For this reason, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israel Prison Service (including the Keter special forces) and the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit (Yamam) are expressly singled out.
The women mainly suffered threats of rape and humiliating body searches; men and boys suffered rape and severe genital violence, which caused severe injuries without receiving adequate medical treatment. The situation is aggravated by the terrible living conditions and massive displacements in Gaza. Of the more than 9,000 Palestinians still detained, more than 4,000 are being held without charge or trial, called “administrative detention.”
The report also points out a serious problem of impunity, with little accountability even in cases with available evidence. The absence of charges for sexual violence in some judicial processes and the subsequent withdrawal of accusations reinforce this situation. As an example, in February 2025, five IDF reserve soldiers were charged with a serious physical assault in the Sde Teiman camp that included inserting an object into the victim’s anus; However, charges of rape or sexual violence were dropped, and in March 2026, all charges were dropped.
For all these reasons, the UN urges Israel to stop sexual violence, investigate the complaints and guarantee dignified treatment for Palestinian detainees, as well as to allow access to international organizations.
The dossier does not leave aside the accusations of possible sexual violence also caused by the Palestinian militia party Hamas against the 251 citizens it kidnapped on October 7, 2023. The UN highlights that in 2025, after several ceasefire agreements that allowed the release of more than 50 hostages in Gaza, some of them (three women and three men) denounced these violations during their captivity. However, he was unable to verify them “due to lack of access to investigate.”
Hamas has not recognized these abuses nor adopted accountability measures, nor have any accusations been reported in Israel for sexual violence related to 7-O. Despite this, the report also holds this group accountable for the abuses committed in the context of the conflict and demands that it adopt measures against sexual violence.
…and those of Russia
In the case of Russia, it has been incorporated due to the documented patterns of sexual violence committed by its military forces within the framework of the invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. Like Israel, Russian troops are accused of systematically resorting to these crimes as a tactic of humiliation, punishment and control against the civilian population and prisoners of war.
The document sets out the 2025 findings of the UN observation mission on conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine, detailing cases attributed to both sides and the body’s recommendations. It accounts for 310 cases that occurred between 2022 and 2025, affecting 280 men, 26 women and four girls.
The majority of the victims, in this case, were men (prisoners of war and civilians). Cruel methods such as rape (gang and with objects), genital mutilation, electric shocks and beatings were used to punish, humiliate or extract confessions. In women and girls, the abuses occurred with extreme brutality in homes, checkpoints and illegal detentions.
Russia systematically denied access to UN observers, forcing them to gather information through confidential interviews only after the victims were released or fled. Survivors face stigma and fear of reprisals if they speak out, especially in still occupied areas.
These crimes have also been documented on the other side, attributed to Ukrainian forces: there are 31 verified cases (27 men and four women), of which nine occurred in 2025 and the rest previously. The violations included electric shocks, genital beatings, and forced nudity. Unlike Russia, kyiv maintained access for observers, lawyers and relatives and there have been legal advances to prevent these abuses, such as the approval of Law No. 4067-IX for urgent repairs, although with delays, the study assumes.
Services for survivors were also expanded in the last year (1,123 care points and relaunch of assistance centers) and a national program was launched (2026-2030) against human trafficking for sexual exploitation, a crime that has increased since 2022.
The UN recommends that Vladimir Purin immediately cease sexual violence, issue clear prohibition orders up the chain of command, investigate cases, provide accountability and allow unimpeded access to the UN and humanitarian services. To those of Volodimir Zelensky, let him also stop any act of sexual violence, continue with the framework of cooperation with the UN and guarantee that those responsible are held accountable before justice.
Diplomatic clash and consequences
The reaction of the countries identified by the UN has been as expected: quick and indignant. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, flatly rejected the terms of the document and accused the UN leadership of bias. In a public statement, Danon strongly stated that the Israeli government will immediately sever all institutional ties with Secretary-General Guterres and his labor office. They had already named him persona non grata for Israel in 2024, in the middle of the genocide in Gaza.
From Russia, the Ministry of Defense rejects accusations of abuses, forced disappearances or the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. These are statements that show, he says, the “double standards” of the UN, a “hypocritical” position, which ignores reports of abuses committed by Ukraine or the West.
The step taken by the UN significantly increases the pressure of the international community on the military commands in Tel Aviv and Moscow, at a time when abuses in detention areas and attacks on civilians continue to be the focus of international justice. The new report and the inclusion on the list can serve to support in the future processes that have already begun: there is an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes, as there is against the Russian president, Putin, focused in this case on the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
