UN Official Reports Widespread Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners by Russia

A United Nations official stated that widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees by Russian authorities continues. During an informal UN Security Council meeting, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Claudia Fuentes Julio reported that more than 95 percent of interviewed Ukrainian prisoners experienced torture or ill-treatment. She noted that over half of those interviewed reported sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, and electric shocks to the genitals. The UN Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented the execution of 129 Ukrainian prisoners at the start of their captivity and 48 deaths in custody due to torture or inhumane conditions since February 2022.

Former detainees provided personal accounts of their experiences. Khuan Alberto Levya Garsiya, a Ukrainian military member, described daily beatings, electrocution, and sexual abuse during 1,183 days in captivity. He stated that prisoners were held in overcrowded barracks and many suffered from dysentery and starvation. Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova described being moved through seven different detention facilities. Oleg Gushin of the Ukrainian government stated that Kyiv has identified more than 300 detention sites in Russia and occupied territories, noting that while over 9,000 Ukrainians have been returned, thousands remain captive.

Russia rejected these allegations. Deputy UN Representative Maria Zabolotskaya called the claims a disinformation campaign and alleged that Russian prisoners held in Ukraine have also been subjected to torture and physical abuse. UN official Claudia Fuentes Julio acknowledged that the OHCHR documented torture of Russian and third-country prisoners held by Ukraine, but she stated this occurred on a fundamentally different scale.