American Russell Bentley had been fighting on the side of the Russians since 2014. A self-avowed communist, he joined Russian forces because he wanted to defeat Nazis in Ukraine. Russell was recently captured by Russian forces who suspected him of being a spy, raped, tortured, and then murdered. I was a little surprised, but it turns out sexual assault is pretty common in the Russian army even when they’re not at war.
Then I learned about dedovshchina which is a custom of hazing involving the newer recruits being brutalized by the older recruits including sexual violence. If you’re a Russian soldier, there’s a good chance you’ve been raped by your fellow soldier and that you yourself have raped one.