More than 95% of interviewed Ukrainian prisoners of war have reported enduring torture or ill-treatment in Russian captivity since February 2022, according to United Nations monitors. The findings emerged during a United Nations Security Council meeting where survivors detailed systematic violence, including sexual assault, genital mutilation, and prolonged deprivation.
United Nations human rights officials presented grim findings regarding the treatment of detainees held by Russian authorities. Claudia Fuentes Julio, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, reported that over 95% of Ukrainian prisoners of war interviewed by monitors experienced physical abuse or torture in detention camps.
The documentation, gathered since the invasion began in February 2022, outlines widespread abuses across more than 300 identified detention sites in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territory. While thousands of individuals have returned through periodic swaps, international investigators stress that the scale of structural abuse remains staggering.
Testimonies of Systematic Abuse and Captivity
Former detainees speaking at the informal UN Security Council session detailed harrowing conditions inside detention facilities. Juan Alberto Leyva Garcia, an active member of the Ukrainian military who spent 1,183 days in captivity, described daily beatings, sub-zero exercise punishments, and electrical shocks.
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Juan Alberto Leyva Garcia, active member of the Ukrainian military
Garcia recounted that guards singled him out due to his Cuban heritage, accusing him of operating as an American spy and a mercenary. He stated that two of his friends were beaten to death in Donetsk region facilities, while survivors endured overcrowded barracks rampant with dysentery and starvation.
Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova, released in a prisoner exchange in 2024 after attempting to visit her ailing father, described her transfer through seven separate holding facilities as a carousel of repression
.
Weaponized Sexual Violence Targeting Male Detainees
United Nations investigators and independent reports highlight a heavy reliance on sexual violence as a tool to psychologically break prisoners. More than half of interviewed Ukrainian prisoners of war reported experiencing sexual violence, including gang rape, genital mutilation, and electrical shocks applied to sensitive areas.
While historical conflict patterns often show civilian women and children as the primary demographic targets of sexual abuse, current documentation indicates a sharp shift toward male combatants and captured civilians. Out of 310 cases of alleged sexual violence investigated by the UN, 280 victims are men, alongside 26 women and four girls.
Serhii Boychuk, a former prisoner captured in 2022 and released in October 2024, detailed being beaten and assaulted with objects by guards during his two years in detention. Ukrainian prosecutor Anna Sosonska told reporters that sexual abuse functions as the cheapest method of waging war
, noting that national prosecutors are currently managing roughly 400 cases of alleged sexual violence by Russian soldiers against civilians, with at least 148 involving male victims.
Executions, Casualties, and Moscow’s Rejection
The human toll extends far beyond injuries sustained in confinement. UN monitoring teams have documented the execution of 129 Ukrainian prisoners of war at the very onset of their captivity, alongside 48 deaths resulting directly from torture, inadequate medical attention, or inhumane detention conditions.
Oleg Gushin, representing the Ukrainian government’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, confirmed that more than 9,000 Ukrainians have been successfully repatriated through exchanges, though thousands remain unaccounted for in Russian hands. Kyiv’s Chargé d’Affaires Volodymyr Pavlichenko urged the international community to elevate pressure on Moscow to establish accountability.
In response to the accusations, Russian officials dismissed the proceedings. Maria Zabolotskaya, Russia’s Deputy UN Representative, condemned the session as a disinformation campaign
and counter-accused Ukraine of subjecting Russian captives to physical abuse and degradation.
While UN monitors noted that approximately half of Russian and third-country prisoners interviewed reported experiencing mistreatment during the initial stages of captivity under Ukrainian supervision, Fuentes Julio emphasized that the scale and systemic nature of the abuses differed fundamentally between the two sides.
Accountability Hurdles and International Scrutiny
Investigating the full scope of violations remains exceptionally difficult. Ukrainian prosecutors note that many survivors refuse to step forward due to severe social stigma and persistent fears of retaliation. Furthermore, Russian authorities have consistently denied independent UN access to occupied territories to examine conflict-related sexual violence.
As international bodies continue cataloging testimonies from released soldiers and civilians, human rights advocates emphasize that gathering judicial proof for absentia trials and international tribunals will dictate the trajectory of future war-crimes prosecutions.
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