Russian soldiers 'are raping women and shooting civilians hiding in their basements', evacuee from Ukrainian city claims
- Anastasia Taran, 30, escaped the town of Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv
- She claims Russian soldiers are sexually abusing civilians trapped in the town
- It is the latest of many accusations from Ukrainian refugees and officials alike
- Ukraine foreign minister Kuleba and MP Lesia Vasylenko made similar claims
- It comes as footage emerged of a Russian soldier who, upon being captured by Ukrainians, turned out his pockets to reveal a stack of condoms
By DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 04:20 AEDT, 23 March 2022 | UPDATED: 05:34 AEDT, 23 March 2022
A woman who escaped from the decimated Ukrainian town of Irpin out the outskirts of Kyiv has accused Russian soldiers of raping women and shooting innocent civilians.
Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old from Enerhodar who was working as a waitress in Irpin prior to the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied town are like 'hell' and alleged the invaders engaged in horrific treatment of locals.
'Irpin is Hell. There are plenty of Russian soldiers out there who just shoot people who enter private homes and, at best, just kick people out of their homes,' Anastasia told Ukrainian outlet Euromaidan Press.
'They rape women and the dead are just being dumped.'
It is the latest in a string of rape claims levied against Kremlin troops by Ukrainian refugees and government officials alike since the invasion began, with Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and opposition MP Lesia Vasylenko both citing reports of Russian soldiers sexually abusing helpless civilians.
It comes as footage emerged of a Russian soldier who appeared to be in possession of a stack of condoms as he was captured by Ukrainians.
Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old from Enerhodar who was working as a waitress in Irpin prior to the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied town are like 'hell' and alleged the invaders engaged in horrific treatment of locals, including sexual abuse
Located just 15 miles from the centre of Kyiv, the town of Irpin (pictured March 8) has been devastated by Russian bombing campaigns for weeks. Many of the town's inhabitants have fled, but many more remain trapped after the town's bridges were blown up while dozens of other civilians were killed as they attempted to escape
'Irpin is Hell. There are plenty of Russian soldiers out there who just shoot people who enter private homes and, at best, just kick people out of their homes,' Taran told Ukrainian outlet Euromaidan Press (Irpin pictured March 13)
It is the latest in a string of rape claims levied against Kremlin troops by Ukrainian refugees and government officials alike since the invasion began, with Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba previously citing reports of Russian soldiers sexually abusing helpless civilians
Anastasia's claims that Ukrainian women had suffered sexual assault at the hands of the invaders came as a video emerged of one Russian soldier, who had been captured by Ukrainian forces, seemingly in possession of a stack of condoms
Located just 15 miles from the centre of Kyiv, the town of Irpin has been devastated by Russian bombing campaigns for weeks.
Many of the town's inhabitants have fled, but many more remain trapped after the town's bridges were blown up while dozens of other civilians were killed as they attempted to escape.
Anastasia, who is now located in the Western city of Lviv, said she managed to escape Irpin with her husband, but they could only take their passports, personal documents and their three cats.
'I am afraid of silence because you are constantly expecting something bad from it. I still dread going outside - I always look for shelter,' she said, explaining that she was nearly caught up in a Russian mortar attack which landed a mere 50 metres away from where civilians were running.
'They rape women and the dead are just being dumped.'
It is the latest in a string of rape claims levied against Kremlin troops by Ukrainian refugees and government officials alike since the invasion began, with Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and opposition MP Lesia Vasylenko both citing reports of Russian soldiers sexually abusing helpless civilians.
It comes as footage emerged of a Russian soldier who appeared to be in possession of a stack of condoms as he was captured by Ukrainians.
Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old from Enerhodar who was working as a waitress in Irpin prior to the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied town are like 'hell' and alleged the invaders engaged in horrific treatment of locals, including sexual abuse
Located just 15 miles from the centre of Kyiv, the town of Irpin (pictured March 8) has been devastated by Russian bombing campaigns for weeks. Many of the town's inhabitants have fled, but many more remain trapped after the town's bridges were blown up while dozens of other civilians were killed as they attempted to escape
'Irpin is Hell. There are plenty of Russian soldiers out there who just shoot people who enter private homes and, at best, just kick people out of their homes,' Taran told Ukrainian outlet Euromaidan Press (Irpin pictured March 13)
It is the latest in a string of rape claims levied against Kremlin troops by Ukrainian refugees and government officials alike since the invasion began, with Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba previously citing reports of Russian soldiers sexually abusing helpless civilians
Anastasia's claims that Ukrainian women had suffered sexual assault at the hands of the invaders came as a video emerged of one Russian soldier, who had been captured by Ukrainian forces, seemingly in possession of a stack of condoms
Located just 15 miles from the centre of Kyiv, the town of Irpin has been devastated by Russian bombing campaigns for weeks.
Many of the town's inhabitants have fled, but many more remain trapped after the town's bridges were blown up while dozens of other civilians were killed as they attempted to escape.
Anastasia, who is now located in the Western city of Lviv, said she managed to escape Irpin with her husband, but they could only take their passports, personal documents and their three cats.
'I am afraid of silence because you are constantly expecting something bad from it. I still dread going outside - I always look for shelter,' she said, explaining that she was nearly caught up in a Russian mortar attack which landed a mere 50 metres away from where civilians were running.
The Russian soldier, who gave his name as Dmitrii Alekseevich Paramoshkin, can be seen lying on the ground as his Ukrainian captors interrogate him and seize his documents
Upon turning out his pockets, a set of what appeared to be condoms in gold packaging tumbled to the ground, raising suspicions that the soldier from St Petersburg may have been preparing for an opportunity to abuse Ukrainian civilians
The video was posted on the official telegram channel of the 'Find Your Own' website - an initiative set up by Ukraine's interior ministry which allows Russian families an opportunity to identify deceased, injured and captured troops.
The Russian soldier, who gave his name as Dmitrii Alekseevich Paramoshkin, can be seen lying on the ground as his Ukrainian captors interrogate him and seize his documents.
Upon turning out his pockets, a set of what appeared to be condoms in gold packaging tumbled to the ground, raising suspicions that the soldier from St Petersburg may have been preparing for an opportunity to abuse Ukrainian civilians.
Anton Herashchenko, advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, announced in late February that the ministry had set up a 'humanitarian project' to help Russians identify family members who had been sent to war in Ukraine.
The website 200rf.com, also known as 'Find Your Own', posts images and videos of captured Russian troops, inviting their families to leave a message for them - or, for the soldiers who were killed, to arrange a pick-up of their bodies.
Another government advisor, Vadym Denysenko, said of the project: 'Citizens of Russia, you know that Russia has started a war against Ukraine, and 150,000 Russian servicemen have crossed the borders of our state. Many of them, several thousand, are no longer alive, many are captured.
'The Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched the website 200rf.com – on this site we post photos and videos of the dead so that you can identify them.'