What did former prisoners say at the UN Security Council meeting?

They described daily beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, starvation, and forced exercise in the cold, and stated that two prisoners were beaten to death.

How did Russia respond to the allegations?

Russia's UN representative Maria Zabolotskaya dismissed the allegations as a 'disinformation campaign' and made counter-accusations of mistreatment of Russian prisoners in Ukraine.

Is there evidence of mistreatment of Russian prisoners?

OHCHR has documented some cases of ill-treatment of Russian prisoners, but notes that the scale is 'fundamentally different' and that Ukrainian facilities generally adhere better to international standards.

World

Former Prisoners Testify to Torture in Russian Camps

A.D. · Prije 4h | 3 min

At an informal UN Security Council meeting, former Ukrainian prisoners of war and UN officials accused Russia of systematic torture, while Moscow claims it is a 'disinformation campaign'.

Summary

Former Ukrainian prisoners testified before the UN Security Council about systematic torture in Russian captivity.
Based on 2,129 interviews, OHCHR found that over 95% of surveyed prisoners of war were tortured or ill-treated.
Documented 129 executions of prisoners at the start of captivity and 48 deaths due to inhumane conditions.
Russia dismisses all allegations as a 'disinformation campaign' but has not granted access to its detention facilities.

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Former Ukrainian prisoners and senior United Nations officials presented harrowing allegations before the UN Security Council on Wednesday, accusing Russian authorities of systematically torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees. The testimonies include detailed accounts of beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, and inhumane conditions in detention.

Russia dismissed all allegations as part of a "disinformation campaign," while simultaneously leveling counter-accusations of mistreatment of Russian prisoners in Ukraine.

Three Years of Hell: 'Every Conceivable Form of Torture'

Khuan Alberto Levya Garsiya, a former Ukrainian prisoner who spent 1,183 days in captivity, testified before the Security Council that he endured "every conceivable form of torture." He described daily beatings, electric shocks, forced exercise in sub-zero temperatures, sexual violence, and chronic starvation.

Garsiya also stated that two prisoners were beaten to death in detention centers in the Donetsk region.

Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova, released in a prisoner exchange in 2024, recounted being transferred through multiple detention facilities after being arrested while trying to visit her seriously ill father in Crimea. Umerova accused Russia of routinely torturing Ukrainian detainees.

Devastating UN Statistics

Claudia Fuentes Julio, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, stated that monitoring by the UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) indicates "widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment" of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees.

The findings are based on 2,129 confidential interviews conducted since February 2022, including interviews with 910 released Ukrainian prisoners of war and 403 civilian detainees. According to OHCHR data, more than 95% of interviewed prisoners of war reported torture or ill-treatment, while more than half reported sexual violence.

The office also documented repeated allegations of severe beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, dog attacks, prolonged sleep deprivation, and degrading detention conditions. OHCHR reports that since February 2022, 129 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been executed at the start of their captivity, while 48 have died in custody due to torture, denial of medical care, or other inhumane conditions.

Moscow Rejects Allegations, UN Notes Difference in Patterns

Maria Zabolotskaya, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, dismissed all allegations as a "disinformation campaign" and claimed that Russian prisoners in Ukraine face "torture and degradation, as well as moral and physical abuse."

OHCHR confirmed that it has also documented some cases of ill-treatment of Russian and third-country prisoners of war held by Ukraine. However, the Office emphasized that the scale of these cases is "fundamentally different" and that official Ukrainian facilities have generally adhered more closely to international standards. OHCHR also noted that Russia has not granted observers access to its detention facilities.