Key facts
- Ukrainian detainees and officials accused Russia of systematic torture, sexual abuse, and beatings of prisoners of war and civilian detainees.
- Russia denied the allegations, calling them a disinformation campaign and accusing Ukraine of mistreating Russian prisoners.
- A Ukrainian military member described beatings, electrocution, and sexual abuse during 1,183 days in captivity.
- The U.N. confirmed widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners, including sexual violence.
- The U.N. documented the execution of 129 POWs and the deaths of 48 in custody due to torture or inhumane conditions.
- Over 95% of interviewed Ukrainian POWs reported experiencing torture or ill-treatment, with more than half reporting sexual violence.
Former Ukrainian detainees and Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of systematically torturing prisoners of war and civilian detainees, subjecting them to beatings, electric shocks, sexual abuse, and holding them incommunicado. These allegations were made at an informal U.N. Security Council meeting.
Khuan Alberto Levya Garsiya, a Ukrainian military member, recounted enduring extensive torture, including physical abuse, daily beatings, electrocution, and sexual abuse during his 1,183 days in captivity. He stated that prisoners were held in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, leading to widespread illness and starvation, and that two of his friends were beaten to death.
Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova, who was released in a prisoner exchange, described being moved through seven detention facilities and accused Russia of using torture against Ukrainians. Oleg Gushin of the Ukrainian government's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed that Ukrainian prisoners were killed and tortured, noting that Kyiv has identified over 300 detention sites and thousands remain in captivity.
U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Claudia Fuentes Julio stated that U.N. monitoring shows "widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees by the Russian Federation authorities continues," including sexual violence. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented the execution of 129 Ukrainian POWs and the deaths of 48 in custody due to torture or inhumane conditions. More than 95% of interviewed Ukrainian POWs reported experiencing torture or ill-treatment, and over half reported sexual violence.
Fuentes Julio also noted that the U.N. has received consistent accounts of severe beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, and other torture methods. While the U.N. has documented torture and ill-treatment of Russian and third-country POWs held by Ukraine, it was on a "fundamentally different scale," with about half of those interviewed reporting abuse during initial stages of captivity.