A UKRAINIAN prisoner of war had the words “Glory to Russia” burned onto his skin while held captive in Russia.
A disturbing photo emerged showing the mutilated soldier after he was released in a prisoner exchange, and Ukraine‘s intelligence service has confirmed it is genuine.
EPAUkrainian prisoners of war celebrate their return home following a prisoner swap on Tuesday[/caption]
EPAThis soldier waved as he arrived back in Ukraine[/caption]
The phrase ‘Glory to Russia’ was branded onto this Ukrainian prisoner, written in Russian
The phrase has been branded sideways onto his right flank in large, uneven letters.
Up the middle of the tortured soldier’s torso is another thick, livid scar ragged by rough stick marks.
He also has a tube fitted into his stomach, and another area of major scarring on his left flank.
Andrii Yusov, spokesperson for Defence Intelligence of Ukraine [DIU], said: “Unfortunately, the photo is real. He wasn’t in this exchange, but one of the earlier ones.
“While examining him at a rehabilitation centre for soldiers, a doctor, overwhelmed by what he saw, took the photo and posted it online.
“This is evidence of what our defenders go through in captivity. The photo speaks for itself.
“And it is imperative that not only Ukrainians see it – they know very well what the Russians are – but the whole world.”
He also revealed that 90 percent of prisoners released from captivity in Russia reported violations of the required conditions.
This ranges from a lack of medical care to outright torture, as appears to be the case with this soldier.
Yusov said that Ukraine is documenting each case and attempting to identify those involved.
He said: “This is visually very clear – there is a stark difference in the condition in which Russian POWs return to Russia and the condition in which Ukrainian defenders come back.
“Violations of detention conditions, and breaches of the required standards for food and medical support, are widespread in Russian captivity.
“This is something that the International Committee of the Red Cross must address and the entire international community must act upon.”
Russia and Ukraine exchanged at least 1,200 each on Monday after the second round of direct talks in Istanbul last week.
ReutersUkrainian troops firing a M777 Howitzer towards Russians[/caption]
EPAA line of Russian soldiers getting off a bus after being released by Ukraine[/caption]
From Yusov’s statement, it seems the branded prisoner was released during an exchange earlier in the war.
He could have been one of 1,000 prisoners exchanged by each side in May after the first face-to-face talks in three years.
It had been hoped those talks would advance the peace process, but they broke up after Russia demanded Ukraine withdraw troops from its own territory — which Moscow has been unable to conquer — as a precondition of any ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the chief of Germany’s MI6 warned that Putin has his evil eyes set on invading Nato.
Bruno Kahl, head of Berlin’s Federal Intelligence Service, said the war in Ukraine is just the beginning for the Russian despot.
It’s after his team obtained intel suggesting Russia is plotting to test the resolve of the alliance in the coming years, Kahl claims.
A similar warning was issued by Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday.
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