Data from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine indicate that at least 177 Ukrainian prisoners of war died in Russian captivity after the start of the full-scale war.
The representative of the Coordination Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Victoria Tsymbalyuk told Politico.
According to her, due to the lack of international control, the real number of deaths in Russian detention facilities is probably much higher.
“This is the number we have. But, of course, not all bodies have been returned, and Russia has not even confirmed that many of them were in captivity," she added.
A 23-year-old international student from Lviv Danylo Krav ets, who became a UAV operator during the war, shared his story of captivity with Politico. He spent 175 days in four places of detention in Russia. He was brought home last April.
According to him, torture and beatings were everywhere. Once he was told to choose between losing a finger or a leg and subjected to a mock execution. When Danylo and other prisoners of war arrived at the prison in Donetsk, their heads were covered. Everyone was ordered to undress.
"They always tell you to take off your clothes," he repeated, briefly saying what happened next was sexual assault.
- The UN has established that Ukrainian prisoners of war are subjected to systematic torture and ill-treatment at all stages of Russian captivity.
- So far, Ukraine has returned 3 569 Ukrainians from Russian captivity.
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