Torture, sexual violence, and beatings: Russians systematically commit crimes against Ukrainian prisoners - Human Rights Watch
The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch has stated that Russian authorities and military personnel systematically use torture against Ukrainian prisoners of war.
This is stated in a report by human rights activists who interviewed hundreds of former prisoners of war, including 12 in-depth interviews, according to Censor.NET with reference to UP.
Warning! This material contains descriptions of traumatic events that may cause emotional distress.
Torture is systematic
"Evidence suggests that their physical and psychological torture is a widespread pattern aimed at breaking prisoners' sense of dignity and self-worth," Human Rights Watch says.
There, it was found that the Russian authorities and their military systematically tortured and brutally treated prisoners during their capture and throughout their detention.
The organization has gathered evidence of widespread physical and psychological torture, as well as the detention of thousands of Ukrainian defenders in "appalling conditions," where captured soldiers have no access to adequate food, medical care, or basic hygiene.
The former prisoners of war who were interviewed described the brutal beatings they endured, being forced to remain in stressful positions, sleep deprivation, mock executions, the use of electric shocks, and attacks by dogs.
Sexual violence
All but one reported sexual violence, including rape and threats of rape, forced nudity, humiliation, and electric shocks to the genitals. One Ukrainian soldier, captured near Lysychansk in the Luhansk region, said that Russian soldiers mocked his tattoo reading "Strength and Honor" and forced him to sit on a bottle, pressing down on his shoulders," human rights activists said.
The defenders admitted that they were held in inhumane conditions with insufficient or inedible food, a lack of basic hygiene facilities, and, in most cases, no access to medical care, even in life-threatening situations.
Four respondents accused medical staff of torture.
The 50-year-old sergeant said that the day after his arrest in the Luhansk region in September 2022, three Russian military intelligence officers took him to an abandoned house near the front line, tied him to a chair, and electrocuted him for 2-3 hours using a military field telephone and other devices.
They beat him with rubber batons, sticks, rifle butts, and a club, striking him all over his body and reopening a previous wound on his head. They demanded information about the positions of Ukrainian troops and the names of his commanders," according to the Human Rights Watch report.
Another former captive said that a Russian official threatened Ukrainian defenders, who were forced to kneel before him, to show them "the pit dug in the backyard" and "what was left of the prisoners (who behaved badly. - Ed.)."
Human Rights Watch emphasized that such actions constitute a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions and are war crimes, as torture of detained military personnel and civilians is strictly prohibited by international law.
Human rights activists believe that Russia must stop torturing and mistreating Ukrainian prisoners, immediately release illegally detained civilians, and grant observers access to places where Ukrainians are being held in custody.
The organization believes that the actions of Russian authorities responsible for torture and other abuses should be investigated, and those responsible should be held accountable.
What preceded it?
- According to the OSCE, almost 90% of released Ukrainian prisoners of war reported torture in Russia.
- Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga also stressed that more than 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia were subjected to torture.
- The Main Intelligence Directorate intercepted an order from the occupiers to torture Ukrainian prisoners of war: "Let them rip off their fingernails, damn it."
