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An 11-year-old boy was raped in front of his mother, according to Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister who lashed out at Russia for its “most gruesome human rights violations”.
In a tweet posted by the UK Mission to the UN in Geneva, Emine Dzhaparova was pictured holding a drawing by the child who she says is still too traumatised to speak and only communicates using “black lines”.
Speaking via video link, Ms Dzhaparova told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) in Switzerland that Russia is committing “the most gruesome human rights violations on the European continent in decades”.
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As she spoke from Kyiv, she held up the drawing by the boy, saying: “He actually lost the ability to speak after and the only way he communicates is with black lines.”
Ms Dzhaparova also said: “These have been 10 weeks of sheer horror to the people of my country.
“Torture and enforced disappearances, sexual and gender-based violence; the list of Russia’s crimes is endless.
“Only the world standing strong in solidarity with the Ukrainian people can defeat this pure evil.”
Ms Dzhaparova’s account of what happened to the boy has not been verified.
A spokesperson for Russia’s diplomatic mission did not respond to a request for comment on her account.
Russia, which has denied carrying out abuses in what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, left its seat at the Council empty in protest.
The UNHCR has passed a resolution to set up an investigation into possible war crimes by Russian troops in the Kyiv area and beyond.
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It comes as the deputy executive director of UNICEF, Omar Abdi, said 100 children have been killed over the past month alone but he admitted the true number is likely to be considerably higher.
“As each day passes, more Ukrainian children are exposed to the horrors of this war,” he said.
As of 11 May, a total of 226 children had been killed and 417 injured in Ukraine since the Russian invasion started, according to UNICEF.
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