Torture pits found at Russian military training grounds, used to prepare recruits for war in Ukraine – satellite images
Photo: open sources
In the Russian Federation, torture "pits" were discovered at training grounds in the Orenburg and Volgograd regions, where recruits are trained before being sent to Ukraine for war. Violators of the regime are thrown there.
"Vazhnye istorii" publication reports this.
According to the investigation of journalists and a group of independent bloggers of the Conflict Intelligence Team, it refers to the training grounds of the Russian Armed Forces "Totsky" and "Prudboy" in the Orenburg and Volgograd regions, respectively.
Regarding the existence of these torture pits and the types of physical manipulation used on recruits, the soldiers who were trained there and later deserted shared this information with the media.
In addition, the words of Russian "volunteers" to fight against Ukraine in the ranks of the occupation forces are confirmed by satellite images.
It is noted that since 2021, "Prudboy" has been awarded the title of the best training ground in Russia.
In the fall of 2022, a training center for the mobilized personnel was deployed there.
Meanwhile, dungeons at this training ground existed as early as 1998, and even then, the death of a soldier was recorded, who was punished for a dirty undershirt.
In June of this year, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitriy Medvedev, who is engaged in a campaign to recruit 400,000 contract soldiers to the Russian Army, visited the facility.
One of the new recruits told reporters that several of his service mates were sent to the "pits," mostly caught drinking.
According to him, the military police beat violators and then put them in a "pit" where they kept the soldiers for several days up to a week.
Food was brought once a day, he claims.
"According to Serhey, one of his colleagues died at the training ground after visiting the "pit," the journalists quoted the interlocutor as saying that they could not find independent confirmation of this incident.
"Pits" at the "Totsky" training ground, a picture from August 4, 2023. Photo: SKYFI / storage.googleapis.com
Another soldier of the Russian Armed Forces, who deserted, was trained at the Totsky training ground in the summer. By the way, Medvedev also visited this facility before.
"Back then, a new 25th army was being organized in Trotsky to deploy it to battle in September. Only individuals who willingly joined were enlisted, with 80% of former convicts incarcerated for crimes ranging from murder to sexual assault on minors. The duration of their service was for several years. In the army, I have never seen such a contingent, completely unmanageable with its prison laws, concepts," – the journalists quote the words of the deserter.
The soldier told media representatives that in "Totsky," soldiers who violated the statute were beaten, kept in handcuffs, and the "most riotous" were also threatened with "pits."
Torture "pits" at the Prudboy landfill, a photo from August 7, 2023. Photo: PLANET.COM / storage.googleapis.com
For reference:
It should be noted that the Reuters agency recently reported on the use of penalty battalions in the Russian army.
According to Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russia mobilizes over 20 thousand people monthly for the war with Ukraine.
