A Woman from Russia Who Encouraged Her Soldier Spouse to Commit Atrocities in Ukraine is Now on an I

A Russian woman who sanctioned her soldier husband to commit acts of sexual violence against Ukrainian women amid Vladimir Putin’s invasion has been placed on an international wanted list.

The woman, identified as Olga Bykovskaya, has been added to state, interstate, and international wanted lists by the Ukrainian authorities.

Law enforcement officials launched an investigation into her after discovering that she was instructing her husband to commit acts of sexual violence against occupied Ukrainians, as long as he did so discreetly and took preventive measures.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has concluded its pre-trial investigation.

Her actions were found to violate Article 27.2 of the Convention on the Protection of the Civilian Population in Time of War and the Geneva Conventions.

As a result, she faces a maximum prison sentence of 12 years. Additionally, detention has been selected as a preventive measure pending her arrest.

Last April, Kyiv’s security forces publicly released an audio recording of a conversation between a couple, identified as Roman Bykovsky and his wife Olga Bykovskaya by Radio Liberty.

In the recording, the woman explicitly permits the man to commit acts of sexual violence against Ukrainian women while he is serving in Russia’s invading forces on the condition that he does not disclose the acts to her and takes precautions.

The shocking 30-second audio clip was made public as President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian troops of engaging in ‘hundreds of rapes,’ including assaults on young children in Ukraine.

The audio clip, shared by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), begins with a title in blue and yellow: ‘SECURITY SERVICE INTERCEPT: Wives of Russian invaders allow their men to rape Ukrainian women.’

Subsequently, the voice of a woman, believed to be Olga Bykovskaya, is heard consenting to the abhorrent acts.

Investigative journalists at Radio Liberty collaborated with law enforcement in Ukraine to track the phones involved in the call, ultimately tracing them to the Kherson region.

They later discovered that the two phone numbers were associated with accounts on Russia’s VKontakte social network, linked to 27-year-old Roman Bykovsky and his wife Olga Bykovskaya, both originally from Orel in Russia.

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