Russians tortured the head of the “Azov” medical service Oleksandr Krokhmalyuk in captivity

Ukrainian military medic Oleksandr Krokhmalyuk died from torture in Russian captivity.

This was reported by the deputy commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard "Azov" Svyatoslav Palamar with a call-sign “Kalyna”.

According to him, Oleksandr joined “Azov” in 2016. He was the head of the medical service when he was captured after leaving the “Azovstal” plant in Mariupol. He later spent time in a penal colony in Olenivka and a torture chamber in Taganrog.

The last known place of detention of Oleksandr was pre-trial investigation center (PTIC)-2 in Kamyshin (Volgograd region of the Russian Federation).

The soldierʼs body was returned in September 2025 as part of the "1000 for 1000" repatriation. According to the forensic medical examination in Lviv on September 22, 2025, the cause of death was a fractured rib and blunt chest trauma.

"This is another verdict on the system of international humanitarian law, which is unable to protect the health and lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian captivity. The open and contemptuous violation of the Geneva Convention, the torture and murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war are a purposeful barbaric state policy of the Russians. Systematic and documented, but unpunished," Svyatoslav Palamar emphasized.

He called on Ukrainian officials, human rights activists, and diplomats to speak out about the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers from torture "from the rostrums of the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and in bilateral negotiations".

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