A recent study on the effects of sexual abuse against males during the Ukraine war includes a description of the atrocities a Ukrainian psychologist’s patients had to endure.
Anzhelika Yatsenko, a 41-year-old psychologist, was recommended to two Ukrainian soldiers who had been held captive in Russia after they were freed in a prisoner swap, according to Christina Lamb, the chief international correspondent for The Sunday Times.
The Silent Suffering of Male Ukrainian Victims of Sexual Violence in the Ukraine War
The troops found it difficult to explain what had transpired to their psychologist, who specializes in working with problematic young men.
Yatsenko, who works in Poltava, said it was so terrible what happened to the two young soldiers who had been castrated that she struggled to act professionally, according to The Times.
Yet when the 25 and 28-year-old combatants told her what they had gone through, she said that it was the first time “I didn’t behave like a professional psychologist.”
“I told them I needed to go to the restroom and ran away sobbing uncontrollably because I didn’t want them to see because they might think there was no hope,” she said, according to a statement she made to The Times.
The two troops had been severely beaten and castrated with a knife by intoxicated Russians while they were being held captive; at the time, they believed they might not survive.
They were suicidal after they returned, according to The Times.
Read more: The Surprising Link Between Loneliness And Bone Health In Men: Study Reveals New Findings
Exposing the Hidden Horrors of Sexual Violence Towards Men
Yatsenko, being sexually inactive as a result of the trauma has unpleasant psychological repercussions in addition to its bodily toll.
The suffering endured by the tortured prisoners of war brings attention to a frequently overlooked facet of war’s brutality.
Sexual violence against men is less well-documented than sexual violence against women and girls in the context of conflict.
According to a recent UN report, some of the treatment of prisoners of war on both sides of the conflict may constitute war crimes.
The abuse of these soldiers is being reported as Ukraine’s counteroffensive is underway and its forces are attempting to break through and liberate areas held by Russia.
A US military source reportedly stated that Ukraine is in for a very difficult war. It will probably take a long time and be expensive because it is a highly violent conflict.
Read more: Claiming Social Security: 3 Misconceptions To Prevent Costly Mistakes
