pictured-wife-who-was-recorded-ordering-her-russian-soldier-husband-to-rape-ukrainian-women

In a chilling example of wartime sexual violence, a recording revealed how Olga Bykovskaya — wife of a Russian soldier believed to be Roman Bykovsky — urged him to rape Ukrainian women while he served in the invasion of Ukraine. In the intercepted audio, she is heard saying: “Yes, I allow it — just wear protection,” as she gave her husband license to commit sexual violence and instructed that he not tell her about it. (Newsweek)

The couple reportedly lived in Crimea and Bykovsky served in the Russian armed forces. (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Ukrainian authorities interpreted the call as evidence of systematic sexual violence and as part of the broader use of rape as a weapon of war by Russian forces in Ukraine. (Sky News)

In March 2025 the Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Kyiv sentenced Bykovskaya in absentia to five years in prison for violating the laws and customs of war. (www.ndtv.com) The case underscores how sexual violence committed in conflict is not only individual criminal acts but can form part of systematic patterns that international law recognises as war crimes or crimes against humanity. (Lieber Institute West Point)

Human rights organisations and researchers emphasise that reproductive violence—such as rape, forced pregnancy, and other assaults on sexual autonomy—must be recognised in conflict settings as part of the destruction of families and communities. (Lieber Institute West Point) The interception and publicising of this call has become emblematic of the abuses faced by civilians in the Russian‑Ukrainian war, and the urgent need for accountability, documentation and survivor support.