Thousands of Ukrainians who are being held captive in Russia face severe torture, hunger, and psychological abuse, according to the testimony of released prisoners. Thousands of Ukrainians who are being held captive in Russia face severe torture, hunger, and psychological abuse, according to the testimony of released prisoners and information obtained by the United Nations and human rights organizations. (…) Between February 24, 2022, and February 15, 2024, more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians were killed, and nearly 20,000 were injured, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. (…) The number of Ukrainians held in Russia as prisoners of war is unknown. As of the latest prisoner exchange on Tuesday, Ukraine has recovered 3,300 military personnel and civilians since the war began, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (CHTPOW), a Ukrainian government body. One such former prisoner is Roman Horilyk, 40, a former Ukrainian National Guard officer who says he endured two years of torture in Russia before being returned to Ukraine this May. Photos of the emaciated Horilyk, published by CHTPOW and the Ukrainian project I Want To Live, evoke associations with Nazi concentration camps. Another example is the story of 24-year-old Maryana Chechelyuk, who was sent in May 2022 for “filtering” after being evacuated from Azovstal in Ukraine to Russian-controlled territories. Previously an investigator in the Ukrainian police, Chechelyuk was suspected of having connections with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was taken captive by Russian forces. She shared that she was constantly beaten, starved, and tortured with cold. She returned to Ukraine on May 31. Prisoners facing severe torture UN reports provided to The Media Line indicate that Ukrainian prisoners of war are enduring severe torture. According to the report, Russian forces beat prisoners, use stun guns to administer electric shocks, force prisoners to stand in painful positions for long periods, and expose them to cold by making them walk naked and barefoot outside during winter. In several facilities, prisoners had to stand still in their cells all day, leading to inflammation and swollen legs.
via jpost: Harrowing torture: Ukrainian prisoners suffer severe abuse in Russian captivity
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