Conquest of Bodies. Conquest of Lands. The Strategic Use of Sexual Violence in Russian Warfare.

• In Event: War, Bodies, and Gender

Abstract

Despite territorial conquest persisting in contemporary times, the conquest of bodies in wars should not be continuously universally dismissed as a mere byproduct. This Paper delves into the intentional use of sexual violence by the Soviet and Russian Armies spanning from World War II to present-day conflicts. Interdisciplinary insights form Psychology, History, and International Security underpin a theoretical framework that positions sexual violence as a strategic weapon of war.

This paper employs qualitative case studies, examining the Soviet Army’s actions in the Baltic States and Poland, juxtaposed with Russia’s ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine. This exploration reveals a legacy of employing sexual violence as a psychological and biological weapon of war. Key elements, including brutality, dehumanization, the instrumentalization of sexual violence for ideological purposes, and its systemic employment are explored. Sexual violence is a cost-effective weapon to instilling fear not only in individuals but also communities, paralysing defence efforts and disrupting state consciousness raising processes.

Prevalence of sexual violence in war often remains unaddressed due to challenges in data collection and verification but there is also ambiguity surrounding responsibility. The conversation around sexual violence as a strategy of war increases the role of the state accountability adjacent to responsibility of individual perpetrators in international law. Full accountability and justice is owed to survivors.

Short Bio

Anete Biķe is currently pursuing a Master in International Security at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) specializing in Intelligence and Gender studies. Her main research interests are Russian hybrid warfare and the role gender plays in contemporary conflicts, notably systemic conflict related sexual violence (CRSV). In 2022, Anete served as the Youth Delegate of Latvia to the United Nations, advocating for women’s rights and rallying youth support for Ukraine in Russia’s war of aggression.

Anete holds a BA in Humanities and Social Sciences from Sciences Po Paris (2021). During her undergraduate studies, she completed an academic exchange to the George Washington University in D.C. Anete has previously carried out an internship with the Permanent Mission of Latvia to the UN and consulted the State Chancellery of Latvia in Communications and Strategic Communications during Russia’s hybrid threat in the region upon the break out of its full-scale war in Ukraine.

Anete is an Alumni of the NGIC Baku Global Forum Young Leaders programme. She is the youngest member of the executive board at “Women for Security”, the branch of “Women in International Security” (WIIS) in Latvia.

Author

• Anete Biķe, Sciences Po Paris