A network of official and unofficial prisons exists in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories for Ukrainians, as revealed by the Associated Press agency on July 13. These prisons hold not only captured military personnel but also civilians who are subjected to torture.
Elena Yakhupova is one of the thousands of Ukrainians who have been or are being held in Russian captivity since the start of the full-scale war. According to the Associated Press, a network of official and unofficial prisons operates in Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories. Inmates recount instances of torture, psychological violence, and forced labor.
"They tied my hands and feet to an office chair and beat me with a two-liter water bottle on the head. They alternated this with putting a plastic bag over my head. They wrapped tape around my neck. And one of the people held it here through the bag, so I couldn't even breathe inside the bag," said Elena Yakhupova, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier who experienced captivity.
Alongside other prisoners, she was forced to dig trenches for the Russian army. Satellite images also reveal the construction of similar prisons in the border city of Rostov-on-Don. Journalists discovered that Russian military forces plan to construct dozens of such detention facilities.
After the retreat of Russian troops in September of last year, torture chambers were discovered in numerous populated areas.
Anna Vuiko's father went missing during the Russian occupation of Hostomel. His house now stands empty. One former prisoner told Anna that he is being held in a prison in Kursk.
"It's a great stress. I think about it every day. It's been a year, even more than a year, but how much longer should it take? There are many civilians there, not just my father," the woman said.
Approximately 400 peaceful Ukrainians have been repatriated alongside Ukrainian military personnel in prisoner exchanges. Authorities in Kyiv estimate that around 10,000 Ukrainian civilians are still being held in Russian prisons.
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