‘Torture and Executions’: A Ukrainian Border Guard’s Tale of 18 Months in Captivity
Vyacheslav, a Ukrainian border guard, shares his harrowing account of 18 months of torture, executions, and inhumane conditions in Russian captivity.
The young man volunteered to defend Ukraine in the first days of Russia’s invasion. In civilian life, he was a metal worker, working at a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia.
In late April 2022, Vyacheslav and his fellow troops found themselves surrounded and captured by Russian forces in the Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian border guard says the captives dealt with brutal beatings as Russian soldiers kicked them and hit with rifle butts. During the interrogation that followed, a Russian army officer shot them in the legs, and later intimidated them while they were down on the floor bleeding. After the officer put out a cigarette on Vyacheslav’s ear, he went on to shot other POWs.
Three of the captives died there. The Russian officer aimed his hand gun at Vyacheslav, and only faulty ammunition saved the Ukrainian captive’s life.
In March, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission unveiled a report on torture and executions of Ukrainian POWs that paints a dark picture of the crimes commited by Russian troops in Ukraine.
Amendments to Ukraine’s enforcement proceedings legislation, initiated by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, have entered into force. Among other measures, the reform provides for the automated lifting of attachments on bank accounts immediately after debts in enforcement proceedings have been fully settled. The main practical benefit for citizens is the complete elimination of the need to contact an enforcement officer in person and wait for paper decisions once the debt has been paid.
The 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade has received another batch of supplies as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. This time, the military received seven quad bikes and four mobile shower and bath units.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.