**Title: Ukrainian Prisoners Detail Allegations of Torture and Abuse in Russian Detention**
Former Ukrainian detainees and officials have made serious allegations against Russia, claiming systematic torture of prisoners of war and civilian detainees. During an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday, they recounted harrowing experiences of inhumane treatment, including beatings, electric shocks, and sexual abuse. Thousands of Ukrainians are reportedly still held in captivity.
Khuan Alberto Levya Garsiya, an active member of the Ukrainian military, shared his personal ordeal, stating that he endured various forms of torture over his 1,183 days in captivity. “Yes … I was tortured,” Garsiya told reporters. He described the extensive physical and psychological abuse he and his fellow prisoners faced, including daily beatings and excessive physical exercises in freezing temperatures. He also mentioned instances of sexual abuse, aimed at breaking the mental resilience of detainees. Garsiya expressed his relief at surviving, noting that two of his friends were beaten to death in detention facilities located in the Donetsk region.
The conditions in these detention centers were described as dire. Garsiya reported overcrowded barracks where prisoners suffered from dysentery and malnutrition. He indicated that his Latino name led to additional targeting by guards, who accused him of being a mercenary and an American spy.
Leniie Umerova, a Crimean Tatar activist who was released in a prisoner exchange in 2024, also spoke at the U.N. meeting. She recounted her own experience of being detained while attempting to visit her ailing father in Crimea. Umerova described her transfer through “seven detention facilities,” which she characterized as a “carousel of repression,” and echoed the claims of torture against Ukrainian detainees.
Oleg Gushin, representing the Ukrainian government’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, emphasized the severity of the situation, stating that Ukrainian prisoners were being “killed and tortured” in detention. He noted that the Ukrainian authorities had identified over 300 detention sites in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories. While more than 9,000 Ukrainians have been returned through prisoner exchanges, Gushin warned that “thousands” remain in Russian custody.
Ukraine’s Chargé d’Affaires, Volodymyr Pavlichenko, called for increased international pressure and accountability regarding Russia's treatment of prisoners. He urged the global community to take action against these alleged human rights violations.
The U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Claudia Fuentes Julio, corroborated the allegations, stating that monitoring efforts had revealed “widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment” of Ukrainian prisoners by Russian authorities. She highlighted that since February 2022, the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented the execution of 129 Ukrainian prisoners of war shortly after their capture, as well as 48 deaths in custody due to torture or inhumane conditions.
Fuentes Julio reported that over 95% of Ukrainian prisoners interviewed by the U.N. had experienced torture or ill-treatment, with more than half reporting incidents of sexual violence. The forms of abuse included rape, gang rape, beatings while nude, and electric shocks to sensitive areas. She also mentioned accounts of severe beatings with various objects, mock executions, and dog attacks.
While the OHCHR has also documented instances of torture and ill-treatment of Russian and third-country national prisoners held by Ukraine, Fuentes Julio noted that these cases were on a “fundamentally different scale,” with about half of those interviewed reporting abuse primarily during the initial stages of captivity.
The allegations presented at the U.N. meeting have sparked renewed calls for international scrutiny and intervention regarding the treatment of prisoners in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. As the situation continues to evolve, the plight of detainees remains a critical concern for human rights advocates and the international community.