FALCON POWERS – Two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, women who experienced sexual violence at the hands of Russian soldiers have begun speaking out about the atrocities they faced, overcoming their fear to raise their voices in support of the “silent victims”.
Darya Zimenka is one of these survivors.
At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as Russian forces advanced towards Kyiv, Zimenka fled to Havronshchyna, her parents’ village near the Ukrainian capital. Shortly after, the Russians took control of this village. One day, a group of drunken and armed soldiers stormed the family’s home and said Zimenka was needed for questioning.
What happened to this young woman after that is part of what Ukrainian authorities say is a widespread and systematic campaign of sexual assaults by the Russian invaders.
On March 28, 2022, the soldiers took Zimenka to an abandoned house and ordered her to undress.
“I realized this wasn’t going to be an interrogation. It lasted for two hours,” said the 33-year-old Zimenka.
The next day, the soldiers returned and raped her again. But soon after, the Ukrainian forces regained control of the village.
