At least 206 Ukrainian POWs died in Russian captivity, UN reports systematic torture

The Associated Press reported the information, citing data from the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office.

They reported that out of more than 5,000 prisoners of war returned to Ukraine by Russia, at least 206 died in captivity, including over 50 during the terrorist attack in Olenivka.

Additionally, another 245 Ukrainian servicemen were killed by Russian soldiers immediately after surrendering.

The 2024 UN report states that 95% of released Ukrainian prisoners of war faced systematic torture and mistreatment. Prisoners described beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, sexual violence, stressful positions held for long periods, mock executions, and sleep deprivation.

Danielle Bell, a UN human rights monitor in Ukraine, says this conduct "could not be more unlawful."

AP interviewed relatives of 21 Ukrainian prisoners of war who died in captivity. Autopsies done in Ukraine showed that five died of heart failure, including soldiers aged 22, 39, and 43. Four others died from tuberculosis or pneumonia, and one died from infection, asphyxiation, and blunt force trauma to the head.

One prisoner was tortured with electric shocks and beaten just days before dying from heart failure and extreme exhaustion, according to a forensic report reviewed by journalists. Other autopsies revealed signs of gangrene or untreated infections on the bodies.

AP says the number of dead prisoners of war is likely to rise as more bodies are returned and identified. However, it is often very hard to determine the cause of death because some returned soldiers have no internal organs, and bruises or injuries are sometimes hidden.

Ukrainian officials say the poor condition of the returned bodies makes it hard to tell whether the prisoners were tortured, starved, or suffered from poor medical care before they died.

"They (Russians - ed.) hold the bodies until they reach a state where nothing can be determined," said Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Ukrainian Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

• On Sunday, May 25, 303 Ukrainian defenders returned home through Belarus as part of the final third stage of the prisoner exchange with the aggressor country. The same number of Russian soldiers were sent back to Russia.