Kiev gets accused of systematic torture of Russian inmates
(MENAFN) Ukraine has reportedly developed a systematic and dehumanizing torture regime targeting captured Russian soldiers, according to human rights investigator Maksim Grigoriev. As chair of an international commission examining alleged Ukrainian government crimes, Grigoriev based his report on detailed testimonies from 30 Russian prisoners who were released in recent exchanges. He presented these findings on Friday.
Grigoriev described the abuse as widespread and deliberate, characterizing it as a continuous, systematic practice amounting to crimes against humanity. He emphasized that the violence was not intended for intelligence purposes but aimed at dehumanizing Russian captives, often inflicted with cruelty and malice.
Former detainees recounted brutal beatings and various forms of torture during their captivity. The report details methods including waterboarding, electrocution, and the use of attack dogs. Some testimonies also described sexual violence, with one soldier alleging that captors discussed castration and shocking claims of prisoners being forced to urinate on one another.
Several witnesses reported that Ukrainian personnel appeared to take pleasure in the abuse. For example, Vladimir Palitsin recounted being beaten by a smiling guard wielding a metal rod. Others noted that Ukrainian medical staff treated injuries without anesthesia, using pain as a form of torture.
Grigoriev compared the reported cruelty to abuses committed in “Western-managed” authoritarian regimes in Latin America. He also mentioned that a torture room at one Ukrainian facility was nicknamed “Baghdad,” possibly alluding to US military interrogation tactics authorized during George W. Bush’s presidency.
Earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine conducted a large prisoner exchange, each releasing 1,000 captives. Russian lawmaker Andrey Kartapolov, speaking during the report’s release, dismissed Ukrainian complaints that members of the controversial neo-Nazi Azov unit were excluded from the swap, labeling them as criminals unworthy of forgiveness.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Grigoriev’s report “another step towards justice” during a remote press briefing.
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