“…during the war over half a million women fought in the Soviet armed forces.

However, rather than improving the status of women, this left them more vulnerable to mistreatment.

It has come to light from recently opened Soviet records and the confessions of Red Army veterans that female soldiers were routinely sexually abused, especially by the senior officers.” (Lynch, 2008, p.125).

Reference

Lynch, M. (2008) Stalin’s Russia, 1924-53. 4th Ed. London: Hodder Education.