Ukraine Soldier Captured By Russians Attempts Suicide After Torture, Abuse From Putin’s Troops: Ombudsman

A Ukrainian soldier who was captured by Russian soldiers amid the war allegedly tried to commit suicide after suffering from abuse and torture from President Vladimir Putin’s troops.

In a Facebook post, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denisova said they received a report of a captured Ukrainian soldier who was taken to a hospital in Melitopol while being escorted by the Russian military. The soldier, whose name was not released, had signs that he tried to take his own life by cutting his own veins.

“A captured soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was taken to the hospital under the escort of the Russian military. According to a spokesman for the Zaporizhzhya regional administration, the serviceman was 'tortured and abused in such a way that he tried to cut his own veins,’” Denisova wrote in the post.

The ombudsman added that the doctors gave the Ukrainian soldier medical treatment. However, they were operating while machine guns were pointed at them.

“Such actions by russian militants grossly violate the right to liberty and security of citizens of Ukraine guaranteed by Articles 3 and 34 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights,” Denisova said, adding that she is appealing to the UN Commission for Investigation Human Rights Violations to take into account the reports.

News about the captured Ukrainian soldier attempting suicide is the latest in a string of reports about the cruelty of Russian soldiers amid the war. In early April, Mykolaiv resident Tatiana Bozhiko said Russian forces took her husband away for allegedly sympathizing with Ukraine’s Azov Battalion. The man, who was identified by the name Serhii, had never served in the military.

Tatiana told The Washington Post in an interview that she saw her husband the day after he was captured. The man had been covered in bruises and his arm was in a sling after he had been shot in the elbow. Despite his injuries, Tatiana said the Russians did not release him despite promising that he would be home in the evening.

A 20-year-old Azerbaijani university student who was captured in Mariupol and was held by Russian forces from March 17 to April 12 said he suffered from electric shock and beatings almost every day. He was released on April 13.