More than half of women murdered in Russia are killed by their partners, study shows

Two thirds (65.8 percent) of all women murdered in Russia from 2011 to 2019 were killed by their partners or relatives, according to a new study from the Consortium of Women’s Non-governmental Associations (Wcons).

The study was conducted by human rights activists, who examined publicly available information on sentences handed down for murder, murder committed in a state of temporary insanity, and intentional infliction of grave injury involving the death of the victim. The activists analyzed the murders of 18,500 women in Russia, and found that 12,200 of these women were victims of their partners or relatives. 

During the study period, 9,868 women were killed by their partners — accounting for 53 percent of all murder sentences. The study describes Russia as the “world leader in partner violence,” as the share of women killed by their partners is higher than in all other parts of the world. (According to the study, the share of women murdered by their partners worldwide is 34 percent).

The authors of the study urge the Russian authorities to acknowledge the country’s domestic violence problem and adopt legislative measures to prevent and suppress it, as well as to provide protection for women who are victims of domestic abuse.