The key facts

  • At a UN Security Council meeting, Nebenzya said there is a network of underground prisons in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk and other regions
  • According to him, prisoners are held in abandoned institutions, basements, garages and industrial buildings
  • In October, Miroshnik spoke of “medieval tortures” involving the burning of brands

Statement at the UN Security Council meeting

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said at a meeting of the UN Security Council that Ukraine has created an extensive network of underground prisons for holding Russian prisoners of war, TASS reports. This is reported by Gazeta.Ru.

Content of the statements

“A separate, equally monstrous story is the treatment of Russian prisoners of war. Testimonies from released servicemen reveal the existence of an extensive network of underground prisons in Kyiv, Kharkiv region, Sumy region, Dnipropetrovsk region and other regions,” Gazeta.Ru quotes the diplomat as saying. According to Nebenzya, prisoners are held in such places in inhumane conditions, and the facilities themselves are located in abandoned institutions, basements, garages and industrial buildings.

October statements by the Foreign Ministry and context

This is not the first such statement by Russian authorities: in October Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that freed Russians describe “practically medieval tortures” involving the burning of brands, and suggested that Kyiv's European sponsors know about the places of detention. The published sources are limited to presenting the position of Russian officials; statements by the Ukrainian side or independent verification of this information are not presented in the available materials.