Russian captivity has, in many cases, proven to be worse than death since the start of the full-scale war, according to accounts from Ukrainians who have experienced it. Prisoners of war report being beaten during interrogations, held in overcrowded cells, and deprived of sleep and basic hygiene.
Many recall regular “re-educational procedures” involving collective beatings, electric shocks, or being forced to maintain painful positions for extended periods. Notably, these tortures often weren’t aimed at extracting information, but served as punishment in and of themselves – a grim echo of Soviet-era practices.
– It hurts terribly when you have broken ribs, genitals shocked with electricity, or your fingernails torn off. But the pain eventually subsides, wounds heal, and hunger never leaves you for a second. It kills slowly, every day,” said Vlad, one of the subjects of a report by Wirtualna Polska, titled “Remember: you mustn’t chew on the worms.” Hunger is a slow killer in Russian captivity.
Prisoners of War in Russia. They took him for a “British spy.” Then he disappeared.
A Virtual Law
Russia cannot claim ignorance or a lack of obligation. The Federation is a signatory to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their additional protocols, which regulate the treatment of prisoners of war. These documents prohibit torture, inhumane treatment, collective punishment, and humiliation.
They also mandate providing medical care, adequate food, and living conditions. From a legal standpoint, Russian authorities have no room for interpretation that would justify the observed practices.
Despite these commitments, Russia has behaved since the beginning of the war as if international humanitarian law does not apply to it. Complaints to the United Nations, reports from monitoring missions, and documentation collected by human rights organizations consistently meet with the same response: the Kremlin denies any violation of the law or accuses the authors of manipulation, Russophobia, or Western propaganda.
Concentration Camps
Russian prisoner-of-war camps more closely resemble concentration camps. Captured Ukrainians are sent to both official penal colonies and improvised detention centers located in occupied Ukrainian territories or deep within Russia. Many of these are former prisons, industrial halls, or military barracks hastily adapted for mass detention.
Living conditions are deliberately maintained at a bare minimum. Overcrowded cells, lack of ventilation, minimal food rations, and constant cold or heat are intended to weaken prisoners physically and psychologically. Medical care is practically nonexistent. Even serious wounds are ignored, and medication – if it appears at all – becomes a tool for rewarding obedience.
Many released soldiers say they feared not beatings, but infection, which would be minor under normal circumstances but could be fatal in captivity. This is often visible on the bodies of soldiers who have returned to Ukraine through prisoner exchanges.
Tortured, Starved, and Destroyed
Andriy Pereverziev has become a symbol of Russian torture. Russian torturers carved the inscription “Glory to Russia” into his body. Pereverziev was captured on the first day of the war and spent nearly a year and a half in captivity. Russians seized him when he was wounded. He wasn’t taken to a hospital, but was beaten on the front lines “so he wouldn’t forget where he was.” He was taken to the rear, where he was tortured during interrogations before receiving any treatment. He returned home in May 2025 during an exchange of prisoners negotiated in Istanbul.
Another documented case is that of Vladyslav Drozdov, a defender of Mariupol from the 36th Separate Infantry Brigade, who returned to Ukraine in June 2025. After three years in captivity, he had lost nearly forty kilograms. Drozdov reported that he hadn’t seen a doctor for months despite serious spinal and pelvic injuries, and beatings were the only response from guards to requests for help. He also recalled that the guards forced prisoners to kneel in rows, pressing their heads against the backs of those in front, while guards stepped on their backs.
The case of Maksym Butkevych, a former journalist and human rights defender, is also known. After being captured, he was subjected to isolation, where he was physically and psychologically tortured, and then – after a sham trial – sentenced to a penal colony for subversive activities. He spent almost two years in captivity.
UN Impotence
Despite the numerous documented cases outlined in UN reports, the organization lacks the ability to discipline Russia. The Federation is a permanent member of the Security Council with veto power and effectively paralyzes any attempts to bring the crimes to light.
Russia, while formally bound by international agreements, demonstrates in practice that the laws of war only apply when it is convenient. The development underscores growing regional tensions. Until violations of the Geneva Conventions result in more than just another report and diplomatic formula, Russian prisoner-of-war camps will remain places where international law exists only on paper.
This is further evidence that the UN is essentially a facade, capable of little in reality. Unfortunately, every attempt at reform is torpedoed by countries that do not care about human rights.
Sławek Zagórski for Wirtualna Polska
