Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing for over two years, with both professional soldiers and civilians fiercely defending the country against Vladimir Putin's forces. Thousands of people, including women and children, have lost their lives at the hands of Russian troops.

As the conflict continues, the full extent of losses on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides remains difficult to assess. Meanwhile, women's rights activists warn that the battle is not confined to the frontlines; it is also being fought within the privacy of homes where domestic violence is becoming increasingly prevalent.

Social worker and volunteer Lubov Nedoriz tells The Guardian about a phone call she received from the town of Pervomaiskyi police station. Police officers informed the activist about a 30-year-old man who had recently returned from the frontline and was now behaving aggressively towards his mother and partner.

"He used to be a good son, the mother told me," says Nedoriz. The soldier had a university education, was very kind and loved his girlfriend. Everything changed when the man was sent to the frontline in Kharkiv. "He became angry a lot, started listening to rock music and fought with his girlfriend. When his mother had tried to intervene, he severely beat her up," the activist reports.

Volunteers report a growing number of calls related to domestic violence in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs recorded over 291,000 cases of domestic violence in 2023, marking a 20% increase compared to 2022. Social workers, psychologists, and violence prevention specialists anticipate this percentage will rise even further in 2024. In fact, during January and February 2024 alone, reports of domestic violence surged by a staggering 56%.

Massimo Diana of the UN’s Population Fund believes that reported attacks are just the "tip of the iceberg".

"Numbers, at times, do not tell the full story. They are only indicative of the number of filed reports. We need to put the numbers into the larger context to understand the problem," he explains in an interview with The Guardian.

He also adds that domestic violence and gender-based violence are nothing new when war is involved. "In the context of conflict or war, the unfortunate truth is that women and girls will always pay the heavier price," says Diana.

Ivanna Kovalchuk, an International Medical Corps worker, also spoke out on domestic violence in Ukraine, says: "We find that women are less likely to complain when domestic violence involves war veterans. Some even apologise if they do because they feel that it might not be an appropriate time or that their personal situation is not comparable to the war in the country."

Massimo Diana agrees with this theory. The UN member says: "In an environment that was inherently patriarchal from the beginning, even before the war, with a man who has been on the frontline and is a hero but has become violent, there’s a problem with reporting. Women often question themselves: ‘How can I complain about anything when my husband, father, son, brother or friend are on the frontlines dying?’."

Diana adds that war veterans often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which increases aggression. Lubov Nedoriz emphasises: "Our boys are returning from the battles changed, different. Even if they are physically OK, their minds are injured."

Massimo Diana explains that similar violence has occurred in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia during the Balkan Wars. "We need to work with the households where these combatants are returning to help prepare them on how to deal with the consequences of war. This is a pressure-cooker situation," he says.

Source: The Guardian