Ukrainian POWs released from Russia tell about conditions and places of detention

This is reported by Media Center Ukraine.

The Media Initiative, a Ukrainian non-governmental organization that identifies and responds to human rights violations in the context of Russian aggression, has determined 42 places where prisoners of war are held in Russia such as detention centers and penal colonies.

This data was based on interviews with more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers who were released from Russian captivity.

“Terrible things and torture are happening in these places of detention. We know about the deaths of servicemen in captivity, when they die there for unknown reasons, and then their bodies are returned as part of a body exchange,” said Tatiana Katrychenko, coordinator of the  Initiative. 

Read also: When evacuation is a death sentence: How the Red Cross failed to prevent genocide in Olenivka

The organization believes that there may be other places of detention, so the interviews with the released prisoners will continue.

Katrychenko emphasized the importance of knowing even the small settlements where detention centers and colonies are located so that Ukrainians can be found, as Russia often moves citizens in secret.

The prisoners of war also said that the cells, designed for 2-4 people, were overcrowded because 8-10 people were put there. The diet consisted of undercooked fresh food, without meat, fruit or vegetables.

“The only thing that always saved us was bread, which was served in sufficient quantities, and as a result, we were able to survive,” the coordinator added.

Every time prisoners left their cells, they were likely to be beaten. Going for walks was not without beating, and sometimes prisoners were attacked by dogs.

• Representatives of the Red Cross did not tell Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets how many Ukrainian prisoners of war they have visited since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.