For a long time, the fighters of the Azov regiment were able to defend Mariupol against the attacking Russian troops. When the city fell, many of them were taken captive. Some released fighters say they were tortured there. They accuse Russia of serious abuse.
Ukrainian soldiers captured in the Mariupol battle have accused the Russian military of severe abuse after their release from captivity. In an online press conference, former fighters of the Azov regiment spoke, among other things, of prisoners whose bones had been broken by beatings. The information provided by the former soldiers cannot be independently verified.
The men were captured after the Russian takeover of Mariupol in May and later released in a prisoner exchange. One of the released soldiers spoke of observing instances of “severe torture”.
Mariupol was finally under Russian control in May after weeks of fierce fighting. At that time, the last fighters of the Azov regiment had surrendered, who for weeks had put up fierce resistance to the Russian siege of the city in the huge Azov steelworks.
The Azov Regiment is a former volunteer battalion controversial for its links to right-wing extremists. In 2014, the combat group was formally integrated into the Ukrainian National Guard. At that time, Azov members took part in the fight against Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
“They stripped us and forced us to squat naked. If one of the boys raised his head, they immediately hit him,” said Ukrainian soldier and Azov fighter Denys Tscherpouko at the press conference. Former prisoner Vladyslaw Shaivoronok spoke of cases of “severe torture”: “Some had needles stuck into their wounds, some were tortured with water,” said Shaivoronok.