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“This often happened immediately after capture on the battlefield,” the head of the UN Human Rights Commission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, said at a news conference in Kiev on Friday. Most recently, in early March, a video of an alleged shooting of a Ukrainian prisoner of war by Russian soldiers sparked international outrage.
On the Russian side, the crimes were often committed by the infamous Wagner mercenary group, it said. Of the 15 known murders of Ukrainian soldiers, 11 were attributed to the Wagner fighters. At the same time, Ukrainian investigations into the killed Russians were also underway: five investigations are known involving a total of 22 victims.
According to its own statements, the United Nations interviewed more than 400 people on both sides who are or were prisoners of war for its report. Russia was accused of not allowing international monitoring teams access to Ukrainian prisoners.
The majority of the more than 200 Ukrainians who have already been released reported abuse before their detention. During interrogations, the prisoners were beaten, plugged into electricity, shot, stabbed and threatened with mock executions by the Russian army and secret service.
Detention conditions are also very bad on the Russian side. According to the UN, at least five prisoners of war have died due to insufficient medical treatment. In Russian internment camps, for example, there is systematic beating. Five POWs died as a result of the abuse.
Of the 200 Russian prisoners of war interviewed, “a good half” reported mistreatment and torture by the Ukrainian army or the SBU secret service. “Prisoners of war were beaten, shot in the legs, stabbed in the limbs, plugged into electricity, sham executed, threatened with sexual assault or death,” Bogner said.
Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago and has since annexed several territories in violation of international law. Including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014, about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory is currently occupied by Russian forces.
(SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
