AP investigation: at least 206 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russian captivity, another 245 shot on the battlefield
27 May 14:59
At least 206 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in Russian captivity, and another 245 were shot by Russian soldiers on the battlefield.
These data were published by the Associated Press in its own investigation, which is based on forensic examinations, testimonies of former prisoners and data from human rights organizations, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the journalists, it is about more than 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers who were repatriated to Ukraine by Russia. The investigation reveals large-scale cases of deaths due to violence, torture, lack of medical care and other forms of ill-treatment.
One of the confirmed cases is the death of 59-year-old soldier Serhiy Grigoriev. The Russian certificate states that he died of a stroke, but the Ukrainian forensic examination found something completely different: the cause of death was internal bleeding due to blunt force trauma to the abdomen, which caused damage to the spleen.
Alexey Goncharov, a 48-year-old former prisoner of war who was with Grigoriev in the Kamensk-Shakhtinsky colony in southern Russia, witnessed the ill-treatment of Grigoriev. According to him, violence against prisoners was systematic:
“Everyone was beaten – without exception. By the end, I could barely walk,” Goncharov said.
After returning to Ukraine, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a disease that doctors say is becoming more common among former prisoners.
Forensic medical examinations in Ukraine have also shown that:
- Five prisoners of war died of heart failure;
- Four more died of tuberculosis or pneumonia;
- Others died of infections, suffocation, and blunt force trauma to the head.
Human rights activists, representatives of the UN, the Ukrainian government, and forensic experts point out that ill-treatment in Russian prisons is systemic and could have caused the deaths of many prisoners.
According to Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Russia often delays the repatriation of bodies to the point where it is impossible to establish the exact cause of death.
“They keep the bodies until they decompose so much that they leave no chance for an objective examination,” Yatsenko emphasized.
According to the UN report for 2024, 95% of the released Ukrainian soldiers were tortured while in Russian captivity. These include beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, mock executions, lack of sleep, etc.
At the same time, the report mentions that some Russian prisoners of war were also ill-treated by the Ukrainian military during their initial capture. However, after being transferred to official detention centers, the violations stopped.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said that all Ukrainian soldiers returning from Russian captivity need medical care.
