The key facts

  • Rodion Miroshnik said Russia has prepared at least two reports and handed them to international organizations
  • According to him, at the 'Arria formula' meeting at the UN Security Council, only four of the 15 countries disagreed with Moscow's arguments: the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Latvia
  • The claims about NATO's involvement are a statement by the Russian side; the publication contains no independent confirmation

Statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry

Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Rodion Miroshnik, in an interview with Gazeta.Ru stated that Moscow has 'long known' about the existence of a network of secret prisons in Ukraine, where Russian prisoners of war are allegedly subjected to torture. According to him, the task of the Russian side is to draw the attention of international human rights structures to this situation.

Diplomatic steps and the reaction at the UN Security Council

Miroshnik said that the Russian side has prepared 'at least two reports' on this topic and handed them over to international organizations. In addition, according to him, a series of events was held, including a meeting under the 'Arria formula' at the UN Security Council, in which 15 countries took part. The ambassador claims that only four states disagreed with Moscow's arguments — the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Latvia — which, in his wording, 'are directly related' to what is happening in Ukraine.

Accusations against NATO and the status of the information

Miroshnik expressed confidence that British and other NATO instructors had 'been present' on the territory of such prisons and 'shared methods of organizing a system of torture.' These claims are the assessment of the Russian side, presented in its own wording; the publication contains no independent confirmation of the existence of such prisons or of the participation of foreign instructors, and the countries mentioned, according to the ambassador himself, disagreed with Moscow's arguments. Earlier, as the outlet notes, Pushilin accused the Armed Forces of Ukraine of using Russian prisoners of war as 'suicide bombers' — this is also a statement by the Russian side.