After months of occupation, the city of Balaklija is recaptured by Ukrainian troops. Further atrocities committed by the Russian military came to light: around 40 people are said to have been held in a dungeon and some tortured, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry believes that Ukrainian prisoners were tortured by the Russian military in the city of Balakliya in Kharkiv Oblast. The Guardian reported on this, citing a tweet from the ministry. “Russian torture chamber in liberated Balaklija,” the post reads. “The Lord’s Prayer was carved on the wall by Ukrainian prisoners. Russia must be held accountable for this apparent genocide.”
Ukrainian government adviser Anton Geraschchenko shared further footage on Twitter showing the building in the eastern Ukrainian city being inspected for traces. In the video, a young man said he had been held in the city’s police station by Russian soldiers for more than 40 days and had been tortured with electric shocks. “They made me hold two wires,” he said. “There was an electric generator. The faster it ran, the higher the voltage. They said, ‘If you let go, you’re lost’. Then they started asking questions. They said I was lying, and they started to crank it up even more and the tension mounted.” He also heard screams of pain from other cells.
The Russian troops arrested him because he had a photo of his brother in army uniform with him, the man told the BBC. The soldiers held another resident of Balaklija for 25 days because he had a Ukrainian flag. According to senior Ukrainian police officer Serhiy Bolvinov, around 40 people were arrested during the occupation of the city.
Balaklija was recently liberated by Ukrainian troops. Authorities continue to warn of Russian atrocities coming to light as territories are retaken. After the liberation of the Kyiv region, Ukrainian forces uncovered a number of war crimes, including mass graves and the bodies of civilians showing signs of torture. Similar discoveries are now expected in the Kharkiv region.
