An Irish MEP has said there are increasingly credible reports of war crimes against women during the war in Ukraine.
Frances Fitzgerald said women and girls as young as 10 and as old as 78 are being raped by Russian soldiers.
She said it is hard to believe the level of atrocity that is going on.
The Fine Gael MEP said: "One has to say could it really be a few renegade soldiers when we're getting so many reports of women being systematically raped. It seems to be embedded in the approach that the [Russian] army is taking, which is just absolutely shocking in this day and age."
She added: "We have increasing reports of women, and 90 per cent of women are refugees, for example going into Poland and Moldova, who are pregnant as a result of rape."
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800 77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/, or visit Rape Crisis Help.
In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
