Ukrainian prisoners of war and other detainees report torture and sexual abuse while held in Russian detention. Multiple outlets cite United Nations monitoring that finds “widespread and systematic” torture and ill-treatment continues, including sexual violence.
According to the UN, more than 95% of Ukrainian POWs interviewed report experiencing torture or other ill-treatment. The allegations include beatings and other forms of physical abuse, and reporting also describes captives being held incommunicado. Some coverage adds that Ukrainian officials and former detainees accuse Russia of systematically carrying out these abuses, while noting that thousands of detainees are still believed to be in captivity.
Outlets also report Russia’s rebuttal of the claims. Russia rejects the allegations presented in connection with UN-related discussions, including at an informal UN Security Council meeting. While the accounts differ in wording and emphasis, they broadly rely on the same UN monitoring and consistently describe serious abuse allegations against Russian authorities in detention settings.
