Ukrainian POWs Expose Horrific Torture & Abuse by Russia at UN
Ukrainian POWs Expose Horrific Torture & Abuse by Russia at UN
Shocking testimonies at the UN: Ukrainian prisoners detail systematic torture, beatings, electric shocks, and sexual abuse by Russian captors. Get the full story on these harrowing allegations.
Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees have brought forth harrowing allegations of systematic torture, beatings, electric shocks, and sexual abuse at the hands of Russian captors. These grave accusations were presented during an informal U.N. Security Council meeting, with reports indicating that over 95% of interviewed Ukrainian prisoners experienced torture or ill-treatment.
One former detainee, Khuan Alberto Levya Garsiya, an active member of the Ukrainian military, recounted 1,183 days of horrific captivity. He described enduring "anything you can think of that can be done hurtful, humiliating to a man, unwillingly," including daily beatings, electrocution, extreme physical exercises in freezing conditions, and sexual abuse. Garsiya testified that these methods were employed to "make a person break mentally," and while he survived, two of his comrades were reportedly beaten to death in detention centers in the Donetsk region. He also highlighted overcrowded barracks, widespread dysentery, and starvation among prisoners. Garsiya, whose Cuban heritage led to him being targeted as a "mercenary and an American spy," emphasized the severe conditions.
Another testimony came from Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova, who was detained while attempting to visit her ailing father in Crimea and later released in a prisoner exchange in 2024. Umerova described a "carousel of repression," being moved through "seven detention facilities," and accused Russia of utilizing torture.
In response to these allegations, Russia vehemently denied the claims. Maria Zabolotskaya, Russia's Deputy U.N. Representative, dismissed them as "a disinformation campaign." She counter-alleged that Russian prisoners in Ukraine were subjected to similar "torture and degradation and moral and physical abuse." The widespread nature of the Ukrainian claims, affecting thousands still in captivity, underscores the urgent call for investigation into these severe human rights abuses.
