Over 90% of Released Ukrainian POWs Report Torture and Violations of Detention Conditions

Many Ukrainian defenders return from Russian captivity in terrible condition — with serious injuries, chronic illnesses, and without the necessary assistance. The International Committee of the Red Cross does not have access to places of detention in Russia, which makes it impossible to monitor compliance with the Geneva Conventions, said Andriy Yusov, an official representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. 

The Gaze reports on this with reference to the FREEDOM TV channel broadcast.

According to Yusov, after an initial examination, Ukrainian defenders continue to undergo examinations in rehabilitation centers. 

"At the same time, first aid is being provided and urgent medical measures are being taken. And, of course, long-term rehabilitation follows. Many are seriously ill or injured. Many have exacerbated chronic diseases, improperly healed fractures, and many other conditions that require long-term treatment. A separate issue is sanitation, as well as infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and scabies. Doctors have a lot of work to do,” said the GUR representative.

According to Yusov, it can be stated that there are widespread violations of the Geneva Convention and conditions of captivity by the aggressor country. 

"The majority, more than 90% of the Ukrainian servicemen surveyed who returned from captivity, report various violations of the Geneva Convention and conditions of captivity. And I am expressing myself very politely so as not to traumatize or shock the relatives who are waiting for their loved ones and, in fact, those prisoners of war who have already returned,” said the spokesperson. 

According to him, the systemic problem lies in the fact that the International Committee of the Red Cross does not have systematic access to places where Ukrainian prisoners of war are held in Russia and in the occupied territories of Ukraine. 

“This means that the Red Cross is unable to fulfill its mandate to monitor the aggressor country's compliance with the Geneva Convention. Unlike Ukraine, which allows international observers into all places of detention and special camps for occupying prisoners of war and operates in the most open manner possible,” Yusov emphasized. 

Therefore, the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate emphasized that Ukraine faces a very acute problem — not only in returning all citizens from Russian captivity as soon as possible, but also in protecting the rights of those who remain there for now.

“This is a matter of international pressure on the aggressor state, on the Russian Federation, and this is a separate task,” he stressed.

According to Yusov, the Russians are doing this because they are waging a genocidal war against Ukraine. 

"Russia has repeatedly shown its attitude towards Ukrainians as people who allegedly have no right to their own state, that they are a people who ‘do not exist’. And they continue to make such statements. The international system of humanitarian law is clearly unable to counter the violations of the Russian Federation today. Therefore, the state that was supposed to be the guarantor of that same international humanitarian law, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, is today the main violator of this international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention as a whole,” Yusov emphasized. 

The essence of Russia's repressive system and punitive bodies has not changed over the decades and is now actively applied to Russian military personnel themselves, he added.

As part of the Istanbul agreements, on June 12, Ukraine returned another group of defenders from Russian captivity who had suffered serious injuries and had serious illnesses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media.

“Today, the soldiers of our army, National Guard members, and border guards are home. They all need treatment, and they will definitely get the help they need. This is the second stage of returning seriously wounded and seriously ill soldiers,” he said.

Among those released are defenders of Mariupol who had been held captive for more than three years.  All of the freed defenders are men, privates and sergeants.

Some of the Ukrainian soldiers released on Thursday were considered missing in action. 

In general, Ukrainians who fought in the Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk regions are returning home. 

The defenders released from captivity will undergo the necessary medical examination, receive physical and psychological rehabilitation assistance, as well as all due payments for the entire period of their captivity.