Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of cruel torture. In the meantime, more than ten torture chambers have been discovered in various cities of the liberated area, Zelensky said in a video message distributed by the President’s Office in Kyiv yesterday. “Torture was a widespread practice in the occupied territory,” the President said.
He described the occupiers who fled a week ago as “racists” and said that the “Nazis” had behaved in the same way. “Racism” combines the words Russia and fascism and is used by Ukrainians as a term for “Russian fascism”. Like the “Nazis,” the “racists” would be held accountable for their actions on the battlefield and in court, Zelensky said.
“We will determine the identities of everyone who tortured and abused, who brought these atrocities from Russia here to Ukrainian territory,” said the 44-year-old. When they fled, the occupiers left torture devices behind. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities released photos purporting to show torture chambers and equipment.
Zelenskyj: New evidence
According to Zelenskyj, people were tortured with wires and electric shocks. For example, a torture room with electric torture tools was discovered at a train station in Kosatscha Lopan. New evidence of torture was also found in the bodies found in a forest near the city of Izyum. The exhumation of the dead at the “mass grave site” has continued, Zelenskyj said yesterday.
More than 440 graves with corpses were found in Izyum. According to initial findings, people are said to have died when Russia fired heavily on the city at the end of March.
At the end of March, hundreds of dead civilians, some with signs of torture and their hands tied, were also found in the Kiev suburb of Bucha following the withdrawal of Russian troops. Since then, Bucha has been considered a symbol of the most serious war crimes in the Russian war of aggression once morest Ukraine.
NATO Military Committee Chairman Admiral Rob Bauer sees Western military aid and the Ukrainian military’s warfare as key factors in Kiev’s recent successes. “The ammunition, equipment and training that the allies and other nations provide make a real difference on the battlefield,” said the Dutchman yesterday in Estonia’s capital Tallinn, where the committee, which includes the chiefs of staff from the 30 member states, met.
EU Council Presidency calls for war crimes tribunal
After the discovery of hundreds of graves in recaptured areas, the Czech EU Council Presidency has called for the establishment of an international war crimes tribunal on Ukraine. “In the 21st century, such attacks on the civilian population are unthinkable and abominable,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky tweeted yesterday. “We must not overlook it. We are committed to punishing all war criminals.”
corpses with their hands tied
Lipavsky emphasized: “I call for the rapid establishment of a special international tribunal to investigate the crimes.” According to investigators, some of the bodies found in the approximately 450 graves near the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum had their hands tied behind their backs. Many are said to have been tortured.
“NATO will support Ukraine for as long as necessary”
The Ukrainian army had recently recaptured territory occupied by Russian forces in a counter-offensive in the east of the country. According to Bauer, the chiefs of staff discussed at their two-day conference how allied support for Ukraine “can be maintained and expanded”. “NATO will support Ukraine for as long as necessary. Winter is coming, but support should remain steadfast,” he said.
The NATO Military Committee advises the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s highest political body, on military matters. One focus of the conference in Tallinn was the implementation of the resolutions of the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June. The defense chiefs of Finland and Sweden took part in the conference as invited guests for the first time. The two Nordic EU countries had applied to be included in the defense alliance following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
