Russia is engaging in the torture of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war as part of a systematic, state-sponsored policy, according to a new report by the UN’s Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
“The volume of credible allegations of torture and other inhumane acts that are being perpetrated against civilians and prisoners of war by the Russian authorities appears to be unabating,” commented UN Rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards in a September 10 statement following a fact-finding mission to Ukraine. “These grievous acts appear neither random nor incidental, but rather orchestrated as part of a State policy to intimidate, instill fear, punish, or extract information and confessions.”
Ukrainian soldiers and civilians released in prisoner exchanges and residents in liberated regions of Ukraine have provided detailed accounts indicating the systematic use of torture by the Russian authorities. In every area of the country freed from Russian occupation, evidence of torture chambers has been uncovered.
The torture of prisoners is one of many war crimes allegedly committed by Russian forces during the invasion of Ukraine. Russia is also accused of summary executions, the abduction of children, and forced deportations, along with policies designed to eradicate all traces of Ukrainian national identity and force Ukrainian civilians to accept Russian citizenship. Many experts believe these policies qualify as genocide.