Ukrainian authorities say they have found four locations in Kherson where the Russians “illegally detained people and brutally tortured them”. But the allegations of alleged war crimes are also made on the side of Moscow, with the Kremlin insisting that it will punish those responsible for the “brutal” death of a dozen Russian soldiers who were allegedly surrendering to the Ukrainians.
Last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said both sides had committed abuses.
According to a statement from the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, the Russians had a network of places of detention in Kherson, where wooden and plastic batons and devices used to “torture civilians with electricity” were found. In their flight from the city, the only regional capital that they had conquered right at the beginning of the war, almost nine months ago, the Russians also left documents that reveal how they managed the places.
Moscow did not react to this accusation, but insisted that Ukrainians denounce war crimes and bring those responsible to justice. At stake are videos that began circulating last week – and whose authenticity both The New York Times and the BBC have confirmed. In one of them, Russian soldiers are seen lying on the ground, apparently after having surrendered, until another one appears and starts shooting. Ukrainians react and the video stops. But another video, filmed on a drone, shows that all Russians end up dead, including those lying down.
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