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The Russian servicemen, who were returned to the territory of the Russian Federation as a result of the exchange of prisoners of war with the Ukrainian side, have told the officers of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation about the numerous facts of violence to which they were subjected.

So, one of the servicemen has said that during the battle, which lasted about 15 hours, he ran out of ammunition, as a result of which he was captured. The Ukrainian servicemen blindfolded him and tied his hands. He was taken to the city of Kharkov, where they beat him with sticks and batons on his body, his face was not touched so that there were no bruises. Officers of the Security Service of Ukraine also used chokeholds and threatened to shoot him if he did not read out for the record the text prepared by them.

Another serviceman has said that he was taken prisoner with a thigh wound. Medical manipulations in the hospital were done without painkillers. In captivity, he was beaten, tortured with electric current. Along with three other Russian servicemen, he was taken into a basement, where they poured water over him and beat him for a long time, after which he was left there for 4 days without water and food. Given that he needed medical care, he was taken to the hospital, but after medical manipulations they threw him into a cell with a stone floor, where he spent another three days without food or water. When the time came to put a new bandage on, he was required to shout propaganda slogans, otherwise they refused to provide him with medical care.

Ukrainian doctors amputated a leg of another serviceman, who was taken prisoner with two wounds. A visit to the dressing ward always started the same way: a medical worker poked at the wound and watched him writhe in pain. Between dressings, he was severely beaten.

Russian servicemen who are currently undergoing treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions tell investigators their stories, each of which is replete with examples of how representatives of Ukraine violate the requirements of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, which prohibit cruelty and torture of prisoners of war.

During the ongoing checks, officers of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation will give a legal assessment of each case. The decision on initiating criminal cases will be made based on these results.