DISINFO: Ukraine systematically tortures Russian prisoners
SUMMARY
Ukraine has established a dehumanising system of torture targeting captured Russian military personnel, according to an international commission investigating alleged Ukrainian government crimes. The widespread nature of the alleged abuse indicates a deliberate systematic practice of constant torture, amounting to a crime against humanity. The purpose was not intelligence-gathering but rather the dehumanisation of Russian captives, adding that violence was often inflicted out of malice.
RESPONSE
The claim is unsubstantiated. Although instances of torture and extrajudicial killings of Russian POWs by Ukrainian troops have been documented, there is no indication that this is a systematic practice. While updated reports by the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights on the treatment of POWs during the Ukraine war found multiple cases of torture of Russian prisoners, it only applied the term “systematic” for the mistreatment, torture and abuses of Ukrainian prisoners at the hands of Russian authorities, not the other way round.
Allegations made exclusively by Kremlin-aligned institutions, as in this case, cannot be considered credible evidence. These sources have a documented history of making baseless claims supported by fabricated or nonexistent proof—for example, accusations regarding U.S. biolaboratories in Ukraine or the alleged presence of French combat troops on the Ukrainian frontlines.
This disinformation story emerged less than a week after a groundbreaking investigation by the Associated Press revealed the widespread mistreatment of Ukrainian POWs by Russian authorities—abuse that led to the deaths of more than 200 prisoners and included post-mortem mutilation to conceal the evidence. It also followed revelations about the notorious Taganrog prison and other detention facilities.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia treats Ukrainian prisoners of war well, that Ukrainian forces burn bodies to cover their crimes, that UN report on Russian atrocities in Ukraine is not supported by evidence, that Ukraine will build concentration camps for captured Russians, or that Ukraine violates international humanitarian law while Russia respects it.