Caravanserai
Women's Rights

Freed Ukrainian women describe horrors of Russian captivity

By Olha Chepil

Viktoria Andrusha, a Ukrainian schoolteacher whom Russian forces kidnapped in March, is shown in an undated photo. She was freed in September. [Viktoria Andrusha personal archive]

Viktoria Andrusha, a Ukrainian schoolteacher whom Russian forces kidnapped in March, is shown in an undated photo. She was freed in September. [Viktoria Andrusha personal archive]

KYIV -- "I was with the devil himself in captivity," said Irina Stogniy, a combat medic with the 56th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Stogniy was among the defenders of Mariupol until it fell in March.

"When we were taken prisoner, I honestly thought to say goodbye to life," she said. "My whole life passed before my eyes."

Ukraine on October 17 exchanged 110 Russian captives with 108 Ukrainian women held as prisoners of war, including Stogniy.

Irina Stogniy, a Ukrainian combat medic whom Russian troops captured in March, is shown in an undated photo. She was released in a prisoner swap in October. [Irina Stogniy personal archive]

Irina Stogniy, a Ukrainian combat medic whom Russian troops captured in March, is shown in an undated photo. She was released in a prisoner swap in October. [Irina Stogniy personal archive]

"Russia took us from one pre-trial detention centre to another for a long time, and it never said where exactly it was taking us. That made it even scarier," she said.

Stogniy said she and other female prisoners suffered regular physical abuse and torture.

"I remember the most terrible moment when I was being interrogated ... There was this old guy. He took out a hammer and a knife, put them on the table and interrogated me like that," she said.

The man also subjected Stogniy to electrical shock.

"The whole time I was thinking, 'Well, they also have children and wives. They, too, are parents, probably. How can they be so cruel?' To taunt a woman like that, to beat her, to break her mentally... How can that happen?"

Stogniy spent six months and two days in captivity with little news of the outside world.

Her captors showed her videos that said Ukraine no longer existed and that Ukrainian authorities had capitulated, she said.

She also accused her Russian captors of forcing her to say things on camera that they planned to use later in propaganda.

Viktoria Andrusha, a 25-year-old teacher of mathematics and computer science from Chernihiv province, was also detained by Russian forces.

Russian soldiers abducted her on March 25, accusing her of directing Ukrainian artillery attacks on Russian positions.

For several months, they incarcerated Andrusha in Kursk, Russia, until she was freed in September.

"There was both physical and mental pressure," she said. "They forced women to kiss St. George ribbons and photos of veterans of World War II."

"They initially told me that they would not shave me bald. But then they took me and sat me down where they were shaving everyone bald, and said, now we're going to cut your hair."

"It was very scary, but then they didn't cut my hair. They were intimidating me," she said.

"There were two checks every day -- in the morning and in the evening. Special forces -- men in balaclavas -- did everything," Andrusha said. "In the morning after getting up, we were required to sing the Russian anthem. If one of the detention centre's workers didn't like it, they said, 'Again,' and we sang until they said, 'That's enough'."

"Every day the list of songs grew. At first, it was military songs, pro-Russian songs. There was the song 'We Are Russians'. We were forced to sing it when they brought in other prisoners so they would also learn it... It's terrible psychological pressure," she said.

Russia's torture policy

The Russians use two types of torture -- psychological and physical, according to Mikhail Savva of Kyiv, a member of the Expert Council of the Centre for Civil Liberties.

The council is a civil initiative that includes 18 NGOs documenting Russia's war crimes.

"Taunting prisoners and exerting psychological pressure are Russian policy. We must understand this very clearly," he said.

"At all the detention centres, they force prisoners to sing the Russian anthem, 'Katyusha', 'Victory Day' ... and these songs that I call crazy, such as 'Uncle Vova, I'm with You'," he said, the latter referring to a song that glorifies Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"If the prisoners do not sing, then the second category of [torture] comes into play: physical violence," said Savva.

"They beat women there and also use a stun gun. It's part of the standard equipment for special forces," he said. "In Russian pre-trial detention centres, everyone has one, and they use it frequently there, up to causing loss of consciousness."

"In addition to direct violence, there are threats. For example, they intimidate women by threatening to shave their heads."

"There was an instance when a guard refused to leave the shower room where Ukrainian women were taking showers," he added.

Russia is violating all kinds of international laws and conventions regarding prisoners, he said.

The Kremlin is also holding civilian women captive and is torturing them in the same way it tortures soldiers, Savva said.

"In Russia, the civilians and military prisoners are not separated in any way," he said. "This is a violation of international law of war. There is a protocol to the Geneva Convention, Article 75 ... an occupying state may detain civilians, but it must also release them after the reason for detaining them disappears. But [the Kremlin] doesn't," said Savva.

"Of course, we need the help of the world community. Everyone should understand the conditions in which our women, and not just women, are being held in Russian captivity," he said.

"Russia must be held accountable."

Do you like this article?

6 Comment(s)

Comment Policy * Denotes Required Field 1500 / 1500

A repugnant fake

Reply

I pray they will be held accountable in the not-too-distant future. If not I know they will face God.

Reply

These are Russian barbarians. What else can you expect from them?

Reply

Two people didn't want to return from captivity. But, of course, you won't find this info here. They simply hid this fact.

Reply

What was so horrific about the captivity? The fact they were forced to sing the Russian anthem?!

Reply

That they used electric shock and beat [her]. Threats are also a kind of torture.

Reply