MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. The majority of Russian servicemen released from Ukrainian captivity report experiencing systemic torture and an extensive network of secret jails, some of which are located in the Kursk Region. This information is detailed in a report on the violations of international humanitarian law by the Kiev regime against prisoners of war, published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The report was prepared by Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy for crimes committed by the Kiev regime, and is based on testimonies from Russian POWs who returned home as a result of the 150-for-150 prisoner exchange that took place on February 5, 2025.
"An overwhelming majority of the servicemen interviewed described systemic torture and humiliation inflicted by Ukrainian military personnel. The highest levels of abuse were reported in secret jails located in the gray zone and in several territories far from the frontlines. The existence of these facilities is well known at all levels of the Ukrainian government, as many are frequented by representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), military intelligence (GUR), and other Ukrainian special services, who possess unofficial knowledge about the POWs held there and utilize these institutions to extract information through prohibited methods," the report states.
Secret Jails
According to the published data, nearly all the POWs interviewed confirmed the existence of a vast network of secret jails, torture cells, and clandestine burial sites. The report indicates that such facilities are located in the Kursk Region of Russia, as well as in the Sumy, Kharkov, and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine, in areas of the DPR and LPR temporarily controlled by Ukrainian forces, and in Kiev.
"Prisoners reported that those taken to secret jails controlled by nationalist units such as Azov (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) and Aidar (recognized as a terrorist group and banned in Russia) were subjected to particularly brutal treatment," the report notes. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that these facilities are not accessible to human rights organizations or official international bodies.
"In the secret detention centers for prisoners of war, Ukrainian militants have established torture rooms where captured Russian military personnel endure severe beatings, threats, and violence. The perpetrators employ a range of horrific methods, including electric shocks, drowning, forced nudity, threats of sexual violence, non-medical amputations, dog attacks, and mock executions," the report concludes.