UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — According to the report, the Ukrainian justice system lacks professional experience, laws and capacity to effectively prosecute allegations of sexual violence, which leads to widespread impunity of those responsible for such crimes.
"[S]urvivors of sexual violence committed in the context of the country’s armed conflict are often denied justice and left without adequate care and counselling," Haq said.
The breakout of hostilities in eastern Ukraine began in April 2014 as a local counter-reaction to the West-sponsored Maidan coup in Kiev that had toppled legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych in February. Residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions held independence referendums and proclaimed the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Kiev has since been conducting a military operation, encountering stiff local resistance.
