Former POWs tell UN representative about tortures in Ukrainian captivity

Lugansk People’s Republic servicemen who were released in a prisoner-of-war exchange with Kiev have told stories of their tortures in Ukrainian captivity, during a video link with a representative of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine.

 

The LPR ombudsperson’s Office said that the UN procedures for reporting human rights violations require verification such as interviews with the victims. Until now, UN officials have not used the procedure with former LPR POWs and consequently the facts of torture did not appear in UN reports.

 

LPR ombudsperson Viktoria Serdyukova said that the Republic regularly sends materials to the Mission confirming the use of tortures by Kiev forces against LPR POWs and that there has been no response.

 

“Today, when our servicemen told about the tortures they were subjected to in Ukrainian captivity and wished to appeal to a human rights organization, we arranged for them a video link with a representative of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine,” Serdyukova said. “Each was given the opportunity to talk with the UN representative face-to-face. So verification has taken place and we very much hope that it will be reflected in reports and inspections, probes and sessions of their commissions.”

 

She said that international organizations have been practicing the policy of double standards for eight years, turning a blind eye to the violations of Donbass residents’ rights and publicly defending Ukrainian interests.

 

LPR militiaman Maxim said that he had told the UN representative about the pressure he had experienced in Ukraine but that he did not have much hope for a proper reaction from the human rights organization.

 

“They beat me all the time, and used electric shocks and cold steel,” Maxim said. “Constant humiliation, dehumanization, attempts to demoralize. <...> I cannot name (the torturers), they were wearing masks, but I saw “Azov” battalion insignia.  I was in solitary confinement and I heard people shouting in pain in cells next to me. I think they were tortured, too.”

 

LPR militiaman Ruslan expressed the hope that his talk with the UN representative would help influence the attitude to servicemen held captive by Ukraine. 

“There were questions about tortures, our living conditions in captivity, the food they gave us and how they treated us.<...> He was appalled promising to take measures.  He will report this information at the first hearing. We exchanged our contacts and can phone each other if necessary,” he said.

 

Over 150 LPR servicemen have returned from Ukrainian captivity since the beginning of the special military operation in February. The LPR ombudsperson said that more than 100 of them had been physically abused.

 

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance. The LPR militia and Russian armed forces fully liberated the LPR territory from Ukrainian armed formations on July 3.

 

The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  The peace talks that began soon thereafter failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.

 

The Lugansk People’s Republic became a part of Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum.*i*v