russia revives Soviet-era torture methods: MIHR reports systematic abuse of Ukrainian POWs

Torture inflicted by russian forces on Ukrainian prisoners of war is both systematic and large-scale, rooted in brutal practices inherited from Soviet rule, according to the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR).

This was stated by Vladyslav Havrylov, an analyst at MIHR, during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine.

“Judging by the abuse and horrors described by former prisoners of war, it’s clear that this continues, and that these criminal practices date back to the Soviet period. They sought to break individuals in the same way. Torture was standard. Above all, we are seeing clear signs of a crime against humanity, given the widespread and systematic nature of these practices,” Havrylov said.

He stressed that the mistreatment begins the moment prisoners are captured and continues throughout their captivity.

“In every detention site, in every facility, returning POWs testify that during the so-called ‘reception’ process, disembarkation, and registration, they are beaten, attacked by dogs, punched, kicked, and struck with various objects, including batons. This abuse can last for hours. Then, during interrogations, they are beaten again, subjected to electric shocks with stun guns, doused with water, and tortured using a device known as a ‘tapik’, a Soviet-era military field telephone, the TA-57, with wires removed to deliver electric shocks,” Havrylov said.

He also pointed to russia’s refusal to recognize Ukrainian service members as lawful combatants under international humanitarian law.

“russia, in blatant violation of international law, refuses to treat prisoners of war as military personnel with the right to resist aggression. Instead, it prosecutes them on criminal charges,” he said.

According to Havrylov, Ukrainian POWs are held in pre-trial detention centers and other facilities under terrorism-related charges, a direct parallel to Soviet-era tactics.

“Back then, detainees were often accused of terrorism or nationalist activities. These sweeping charges were usually baseless, but people were interrogated, tortured, and beaten until they confessed. We are seeing a full revival of these criminal practices today,” he said.

He emphasized that the abuse is not a series of isolated incidents, but a deliberate state policy.

“Along with our colleagues, we’ve documented that the heads of pre-trial detention centers, the administration, the special forces carrying out the beatings, they all know exactly what’s happening. And they’re all complicit,” Havrylov concluded.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news