Ukrainian prosecutors have claimed that two drunk Russian snipers sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl and gang raped her mother while also forcing the father to watch.
The accused are Russian soldiers of the 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, and the alleged crimes were committed in four homes of Brovary district of Kyiv last March.
Prosecutors have built the case based off of testimonies from survivors of the horrific alleged crimes, which Reuters reported were used as a tool of oppression.
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"They singled out the women beforehand, coordinated their actions and their roles," said the prosecutors.
Prosectors said that the drunk soldiers, aged 32 and 28, broke into the yard of the house where a young family lived, beating the father with a metal pot and forced to kneel as his wife was raped.
Documents state that the older soldier had since died, while the younger, named as Yevgeniy Chernoknizhniy, returned to Russia.
Reuters said the tearful brother of Chernoknizhniy said he had died.
The two snipers were among six suspects accused in the Brovary assaults, the title reported.
In a nearby house, the two soldiers are accused of beating an elderly couple and raping a 41-year-old pregnant woman and a 17-year-old girl just after the attack on the first family.
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Prosecutors also said the men gang raped a 15-year-old girl and her mother.
All the victims survived and are receiving counselling, a report into the matter said.
A pre-trial investigation is currently looking into the possible role of superior officials in the Brovary attacks, prosecutors added.
If anyone is prosecuted, it will likely be in absentia as Russia will not readily give up its own citizens for trial in the country it is invading.
Ukrainian prosecutors have so far convicted 26 Russians of war crimes.
If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 08 08 16 89 111 or visit their website, www.victimsupport.org.uk.
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