Ukrainian Woman Says Russian Soldiers Raped Her While Her Son Cried In Next Room

A Ukrainian woman has claimed that Russian soldiers killed her husband before repeatedly raping her. The abuse allegedly took place while the woman's son was sobbing in the next room.

Identified only as Natalya, the woman spoke to The Times and disclosed that her son, Oleksii, still does not know the entire truth about what happened before they fled their home in the Brovary district three weeks ago.

"He doesn't understand much," she told the outlet. "In the playground here, he goes up to people and says that we had to leave our house because there was war."

Natalya recalled Russian soldiers encroaching on their house — which her husband had built for them — on March 9. She said two Russian soldiers, who earlier killed her dog, returned and murdered her husband.

"I cried out, 'Where is my husband?' Then I looked outside and I saw him on the ground by the gate. This younger guy pulled gun to my head and said: 'I shot your husband because he's a Nazi,'" Natalya told the outlet.

According to the woman, she told her 4-year-old son to hide in the boiler room, where they usually took shelter. The boy remained there while the soldiers repeatedly raped her, she recalled.

Natalya told The Times that the soldiers didn't care her son was in the next room. "He said 'you'd better shut up or I'll get your child and show him his mother's brains spread around the house,'" she reportedly said.

The woman also detailed the abuse and shared how the soldiers instructed her to keep her son quiet and held a gun to her head during the ordeal. At some point, the soldiers allegedly said, "Shall we kill her or keep her alive?"

Reports have revealed that Ukrainian women are facing sexual assault at the hands of Russian soldiers. Ukrainian MP Maria Mezentseva spoke on Sky News' Sophy Ridge Sunday, saying she believes these cases are being underreported, according to The Guardian.

"Of course, we are expecting many more of them, which will be public once victims will be ready to talk about that," the outlet quoted Mezentseva as saying.

Natalya said she and her son fled their home following the encounter with the Russian soldiers. She also admitted that her son is still unaware of his father's death, adding that they had to leave his body behind.

"We cannot bury him, we can't get to the village, because the village is still occupied," she told The Times.

The bereaved wife then informed the publication that they may never return to the Brovary district even if it is liberated.

"Memories are hard. I don't know how I will live with all of it but I still understand that my husband built this house for us. I would never be able to bring myself to sell it," she explained.

Natalya's allegations will reportedly be investigated by Ukrainian officials.