UNITED NATIONS — Former Ukrainian detainees and Ukrainian officials have accused Russian authorities of widespread torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war and civilian detainees, including allegations of beatings, electric shocks and sexual abuse. Russia rejected the accusations at an informal U.N. Security Council meeting, describing them as a “disinformation campaign.”
- More than 95% of Ukrainian POWs interviewed by the U.N. reported torture or ill-treatment.
- The U.N. has documented 129 alleged executions of Ukrainian POWs at the beginning of their captivity since February 2022.
- Ukrainian officials say more than 9,000 people have been returned through prisoner exchanges, while thousands remain in Russian captivity.
- Russia rejected the allegations and accused Ukraine of mistreating Russian prisoners.
U.N. reports widespread abuse of Ukrainian prisoners
U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Claudia Fuentes Julio told the meeting that U.N. monitoring had found what she described as “widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment” of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees by Russian authorities.
According to her account, the documented allegations include severe beatings, electric shocks, dog attacks, mock executions and other forms of torture. Sexual violence was also among the abuses reported by detainees interviewed by U.N. monitors.
The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented the deaths of 48 Ukrainian POWs in custody since February 2022, with the deaths attributed to torture, denial of medical care or other inhumane detention conditions.
Former Ukrainian detainee describes captivity
Khuan Alberto Levya Garsiya, a serving member of the Ukrainian military, described his experience after spending 1,183 days in captivity. He told reporters following the U.N. meeting that his captors subjected him to repeated physical and psychological abuse.
Garsiya alleged that prisoners faced beatings, electrocution, extreme physical exercises in freezing conditions and sexual abuse. He said the treatment was intended to break prisoners mentally and claimed that two of his friends were beaten to death in detention centres in the Donetsk region.
He also described overcrowded barracks and poor living conditions, alleging that many prisoners suffered from illness and hunger. Garsiya said guards singled him out because of his Latino name, accusing him of being a mercenary and an American spy.
Ukrainian officials say thousands remain captive
Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova, who was released in a prisoner exchange in 2024, said she had been detained while travelling to Crimea to visit her seriously ill father. She described being transferred between seven detention facilities and accused Russian authorities of using torture against Ukrainians in captivity.
Oleg Gushin of Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Kyiv had identified more than 300 detention locations in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Gushin said more than 9,000 Ukrainians had been returned through prisoner exchanges but that thousands remained in Russian captivity. Ukraine’s Chargé d’Affaires Volodymyr Pavlichenko called for stronger international pressure and accountability over the treatment of detainees.
Russia rejects allegations
Russia rejected the accusations raised at the U.N. meeting. Maria Zabolotskaya, Russia’s Deputy U.N. Representative, described the allegations as a “disinformation campaign” and alleged that Russian prisoners held in Ukraine had also faced torture, degradation and physical and moral abuse.
The U.N. said it had documented allegations of mistreatment involving Russian and third-country prisoners held by Ukraine as well. Fuentes Julio said roughly half of the Russian and third-country prisoners interviewed reported abuse during the initial stages of captivity.
However, she said the scale documented in relation to Ukrainian prisoners was fundamentally different.
Sexual violence among reported abuses
Fuentes Julio said more than half of the Ukrainian POWs interviewed by U.N. monitors reported sexual violence. The U.N. account described allegations of sexualised abuse alongside other forms of physical mistreatment.
She said the findings were based on consistent accounts gathered through U.N. monitoring and interviews with detainees. The allegations add to international scrutiny of detention conditions involving prisoners captured during the war.
How many Ukrainian prisoners remain in Russian captivity?
Ukrainian officials said that more than 9,000 Ukrainians had been returned through prisoner exchanges, while thousands were still believed to be held in Russian captivity.
What has Russia said about the allegations?
Russia rejected the accusations presented at the U.N. meeting, calling them a disinformation campaign and alleging that Russian prisoners in Ukraine had also experienced torture and abuse.
