Returned to battle. The haunting journey of Ukraine's tortured POWs

Ukrainian soldiers who returned home as part of a prisoner exchange often experienced torture and sexual violence at the hands of Russian captors. "Soldiers are being sent back to active duty often without proper treatment," warns "The New York Times". - Screams were heard throughout the day - recall Ukrainian soldiers who have been through hell.

One of those who returned home was a Ukrainian marine infantry soldier. His hell lasted nine months. He was tortured mentally and physically. As the American newspaper describes, the man was sent back to the front after just a three-month rest and rehabilitation.

The foot soldier with the call sign "Smiley" willingly returned to service. However, when he went through intensive combat training, the trauma returned.

- I started having flashbacks and nightmares - he said. He added that I only slept two hours and woke up with a wet sleeping bag. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and placed under psychological care.

- Ukraine is only beginning to understand the lasting effects of the traumas experienced by its war prisoners in Russian captivity, but it is not treating them properly and is returning them to service too early - former prisoners, officials, and psychologists familiar with the cases claim.

Since the invasion began in 2022, nearly 3,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released from Russia as part of a prisoner exchange. Over 10,000 more individuals remain in Russian detention, and some of them endured conditions for two years that a UN expert described as horrifying.

The Ukrainian government's rehabilitation program, which usually includes just two months in a sanatorium and one month at home, is – according to critics – insufficient, and the traumas experienced by Ukrainian prisoners grow with the length and severity of the violence they are subjected to.

The United Nations has thoroughly documented the torture of war prisoners in Russia, and former prisoners recounted ruthless beatings, electric shocks, rapes, sexual violence, and mock executions.

Many prisoners also reported persistent symptoms, such as loss of consciousness and fainting resulting from repeated head blows, which were severe enough to cause a concussion. Ukraine's General Prosecutor Andriy Kostin said in September that "about 90 percent of Ukrainian prisoners of war were victims of torture, rape, threats of sexual violence, or other forms of mistreatment".

Prisoners return to war after three months of rest because Ukraine is dramatically short of soldiers. Only the law on mobilization enacted this month, which will come into effect in mid-May, gives them a choice: to return to the front or to quit the uniform and stay at home.

The American newspaper quoted several accounts of Ukrainian prisoners, which were submitted as testimonies to the prosecutor.

One of them refused to provide a name or call sign because of the stigma associated with sexual abuse.

A 36-year-old soldier said he was captured along with several thousand soldiers after a long siege of Azovstal in Mariupol in May 2022. He spent nine months in Russian captivity. He returned critically underweight and suffered from a spinal injury and - like many others - loss of consciousness, dizziness, and ringing in the ears due to frequent head blows.

Despite the injuries, he was ordered to return to light duty as a guard after just two months of rest in a sanatorium. - I don't know if I could run 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) - he said.

Prisoners were brutally beaten on the legs, back, and fingers daily, and during interrogations, they were subjected to mental and physical torture. The military man added that during his stay in one of the detention facilities, three of his colleagues died, including one in the cell they shared.

Two other former prisoners stated that some Russian units "behaved worse than others." Every morning during roll call, there was continuous beating and torture. Interrogations lasted 40 minutes and often involved electric shocks, head strikes, and sexual exploitation.

- They start with maximum violence - said the military. - They say: "You're lying, you're not telling us everything". They put a knife to your ear or offer to cut off one of your fingers. If one tormentor gets tired, another takes over. When you fall, they make sure you get up again. It might last from 30 to 40 minutes. In the end, they say: "Why didn't you tell us everything right away?" - narrates the Ukrainian soldier.

"Smiley" said that ​​a significant portion of the violence was sexual in nature. Russians kicked prisoners in the genitals and subjected them to electric shocks. They also ordered them to stand in a line with legs apart facing the wall. Then, a Russian would deliver a kick to each one.

Another soldier said he was forced to undress and lay his genitals on a stool - their abuser hit them with a ruler and placed a knife on them. - He threatened to castrate me - he narrates.

Interrogators subjected prisoners to mock executions. They threatened rape, forcing them to choose what to use – a mop handle or a chair leg. - Impossible screams were heard throughout the day - said the military. - Sometimes, prisoners heard the voices of children playing outside during silence, he added.