Key facts
- A BBC investigation identified three men accused of torture and sexual violence in Russian-run detention centers in occupied Ukraine.
- Survivors report systematic abuse including beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, and sexual assault.
- Yurii Temerbek, a former Ukrainian traffic policeman, and Ruslan Yeriomichev, who studied law, are among those identified.
- The UN's human rights office has described torture and ill-treatment of civilians in these facilities as 'systematic and widespread'.
- The accused individuals are reportedly living ordinary lives in Russia and occupied Ukraine.
- Liudmyla Huseinova, a survivor, was abducted in 2019 and released in a prisoner exchange in 2022.
A BBC investigation has identified individuals accused of running a secretive and brutal detention system in parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia. Liudmyla Huseinova, a 64-year-old survivor, detailed her harrowing experience of abduction, arbitrary detention, and systematic torture, including sexual assault, at the Izolyatsia detention center.
She identified Yurii Temerbek, a former Ukrainian traffic policeman who joined Russian-backed separatists, as one of her abusers. The investigation also identified Ruslan Yeriomichev, referred to as 'Yermak' within the prison, who is accused of ordering detainees to eat soil-mixed food and of physical assault. Both Temerbek and Yeriomichev are Ukrainian nationals who reportedly acquired Russian passports and are now believed to be living ordinary lives in Russia and occupied Ukraine.
The UN's human rights office has described the torture and ill-treatment of civilians in these detention centers as 'systematic and widespread,' citing accounts of beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, and sexual violence. The Kremlin has dismissed these allegations. Ukrainian authorities state that over 16,000 civilians have been taken captive or disappeared since 2014.
Huseinova was arrested on suspicion of spying, a charge she denies, and was held for over three years before being released in a prisoner exchange in October 2022. Survivors hope that by revealing the identities of their alleged abusers, they can move towards accountability.