Russia on Tuesday blamed Ukraine for torturing its soldiers held prisoner, who were recently released as part of a prisoner swap with Kyiv. Moscow said they have launched an investigation.
The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement that it was “verifying facts of inhuman treatment of Russia soldier prisoners in Ukraine.” The committee probes major crimes related to Russia.
Last week, Moscow and Kyiv exchanged 144 prisoners of war each. The move was the biggest exchange since the start of Moscow’s attack on Ukraine on February 24.
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The Russian committee said Moscow’s soldiers told investigators about “the violence they had suffered” while in captivity.
According to its statement, one of the soldiers said Ukrainian medics treated him without anesthetic and that he was “beaten, tortured with electricity.” The soldier also alleged that he was left without food and water for days.
Another soldier, who had a limb amputated, said he was badly beaten. Ukrainian medics also irritated his wounds, he said in the statement said.
The testimonies of the freed Russian soldiers are examples of “violations of the Geneva Convention on prisoners of war,” the Russian committee said.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency had confirmed the prisoner swap in a series of Telegram posts last week.
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“Another exchange of prisoners took place, thanks to which 144 Ukrainian defenders returned home,” the agency said on Telegram. “Most of the released Ukrainians have serious injuries: gunshot and shrapnel wounds, explosive injuries, burns, fractures, amputations of limbs. They will all receive appropriate emergency medical and psychological care,” the agency wrote.
According to the agency, 95 of the released troops were part of the defense of the Mariupol Azovstal steel plant, which was captured by Russia in May.
“Many of them are seriously injured. Immediately after release, all our heroes received medical assistance and proper care,” the Ukrainian agency said at the time, adding that it was continuing to work to get all Ukrainian prisoners released.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the prisoner swap was “optimistic” and “very important.”
“I am grateful to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine and to everyone who worked for this result,” Zelensky said. “We will do everything to bring every Ukrainian man and woman home.”
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Ukraine has not so far responded to the “torture” claims by Russia and the Russian Investigative Committee’s probe.