According to the Monitoring Mission, interviews carried out with 60 not too long ago launched Ukrainian POWs painted a harrowing image of their experiences in Russian captivity.
“Virtually each single one of many Ukrainian POWs we interviewed described how Russian servicepersons or officers tortured them throughout their captivity, utilizing repeated beatings, electrical shocks, threats of execution, extended stress positions and mock execution. Over half of them had been subjected to sexual violence,” mentioned Danielle Bell, the top of HRMMU.
“Most POWs additionally recounted the anguish of not being allowed to speak with their households and being disadvantaged of ample meals and medical consideration.”
Credible allegations
The report documented “credible allegations” of executions of no less than 32 Ukrainian POWs, in 12 separate incidents between December and February. HRMMU has independently verified three of those incidents.
HRMMU additionally famous findings from interviews with 44 Russian POWs in Ukrainian captivity, stating that whereas the POWs didn’t make any allegations of torture at established internment services, a number of offered credible accounts of torture and ill-treatment whereas in transit having been faraway from the battlefield.
Violations in Russian-occupied territory
Along with the findings on POWs, the report detailed continued violence in opposition to civilians in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, citing, amongst different violations, killings, arbitrary detention and restrictions on freedom of expression.
The report highlighted the Ukrainian Authorities’s continued prosecution and conviction of people for actions allegedly carried out underneath Russian occupation.
Civilian casualties remained excessive through the December 2023-February 2024 interval, with conflict-related violence resulting in the deaths of 429 civilians and injuring 1,374.
A major intensification of missile and different aerial munitions (comparable to suicide unmanned aerial automobiles), along with assaults by Russia in late December and January, induced a spike in civilian casualties in areas removed from the frontline, whereas the general civilian casualty numbers remained akin to the earlier interval.
Ukrainian cities underneath assault
In the meantime, the UN Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ukraine reported that assaults continued within the south and east of the nation on Monday and Tuesday, impacting civilians and demanding infrastructure.
A number of individuals had been injured within the cities of Odesa and Kharkiv, in response to native authorities.
Lots of of hundreds of individuals stay with out energy, primarily in Odesa and Kharkiv Areas. Authorities estimate that restoring the facility to its full capability will take months. Humanitarian organizations are on the bottom, offering emergency support to individuals affected.
World Points Information with Newsmaac
