NGO study shows no rise in Russian domestic violence cases since war in Ukraine began

Reports of domestic violence in Russia have not increased during the first two years of the war in Ukraine, according to an internal study published by Russian women’s shelter network No to Violence on Tuesday.

The study, which interviewed 17 No to Violence employees between January and February, found that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has not significantly affected the number of domestic violence cases reported to the network in Russia, something the organisation had previously voiced its concerns about.

While the NGO did record a slight increase in reported incidents of domestic abuse in the summer of 2023, it attributed this spike to the launch of No to Violence’s online support service.

The nonprofit stressed that its findings may be down to the fact that many mobilised men have not yet returned from fighting in Ukraine. Overall, No to Violence said it anticipated an increase in reported incidents of domestic violence once there is a rotation of troops at the front.

Examples of domestic violence cases reported since 24 February 2022 by No to Violence include a Ukrainian woman being thrown out of her home by her Russian husband and one conscripted man promising to kill his wife upon his return from the front.

The study also acknowledged that many Russian women may have been scared of asking the organisation for help following it being deemed a “foreign agent” by the government in December 2020.