Over 95% of Ukrainian POWs brutally tortured in Russia – UN mission

Over 95% of Ukrainian prisoners of war were subjected to torture in the Russian Federation, making it an apparent war crime.

According to Ukrinform, Danielle Bell, the head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, stated this in an interview for the "Nieuwsuur" program of the Dutch TV channel NOS.

"Prisoners of war are tortured from the very first interrogation. They are beaten with metal rods and sticks, stripped naked, and severely electrocuted. This is horrible. This is undoubtedly the worst thing I've seen in 20 years of my career while visiting the POWs on behalf of the UN. This happened to more than 95% of Ukrainian POWs. This is tantamount to a war crime," she said.

Bell mentioned that information on Ukrainian prisoners of war is gathered through conversations following their return to their homeland, as they do not have direct access to them.

She also mentioned that the way Russian prisoners of war are treated in Ukraine differs from how Ukrainian prisoners of war are treated in Russia.

"The Ukrainian authorities grant us access to the camps and temporary prisons for POWs. There were certain problems there in the early days of war, but over the last year and a half, we have been documenting the conditions that meet the norms of humanitarian law of war," Bell said.

For reference:

Oleksandr Ishchenko, a Ukrainian defender and former soldier in the "Azov" regiment, died from blunt force trauma to his chest while in custody at the Rostov-on–Don detention center. His death has been officially acknowledged as another cruel killing of a Ukrainian prisoner of war. This barbaric act by the Russians is not just a callous disregard for the standards set by the Geneva Convention on treating prisoners of war – it is a direct attack on humanity and international law.