A Ukrainian soldier is lucky to be alive after having his throat cut by Russian soldiers and being thrown into a pit.
33-year-old Ukrainian soldier Vladyslav, was in Russian captivity when he and his fellow soldiers were marched to a basement, had their throats slashed and were thrown into a pit, thought to be dead.
His wife, Viktoriia, told Ukrainska Pravda: ‘First, he was caught by one group, and then they were taken to a basement.
‘There were completely different soldiers there. There were two of them, and they tormented the prisoners.’
Some of the Ukrainian prisoners had their eyes gouged out. Others had their ears, genitals and noses cut off by the Russian soldiers.
After a lengthy torture, Vladyslav was the last to be thrown into a pit, thought to be dead. After the soldiers left, he tied his throat with a rag and crawled for five agonising days back to Ukrainian positions on the battlefield.
He’s been in critical condition in Dnipro, having lost a large amount of blood and his wounds deeply infected.
The director of the hospital where Vladyslav received treatment said, ‘He held on until the end, but you could tell he was confident everything would be okay.’
Even after his horrific ordeal, Vladyslav has written to his brother that he wants to return to the battlefield for his country.
‘Those bastards should feel what he and seven of his fellow soldiers felt,’ Vladyslav wrote.
Russian soldiers have openly documented many of the war crimes they commit against Ukrainian soldiers.
In June, an unmasked Russian soldier filmed himself counting down before firing his Kalashnikov at a fallen Ukrainian prisoner of war.
What the Geneva Convention says about the treatment of POWs
The treatment of prisoners of war (POWs) is governed by the Third Geneva Convention.
Here are the key points:
Collective punishment.
Humane Treatment: POWs must be treated humanely at all times. Any violence and intimidation that endangers their health or leads to their death is prohibited.
Medical Care: They must receive adequate medical care.
Food and Water: POWs are entitled to sufficient food and water.
Accommodation: The detaining power must provide suitable accommodation.
Sanitation: Adequate sanitary facilities must be provided.
Clothing: POWs should be provided with adequate clothing.
Work: They can be required to work, but it must not be unhealthy, dangerous, or degrading. They should also be paid for their work.
Correspondence: POWs have the right to send and receive letters.
Religion: POWs have the right to practice their religion.
Discipline and Order: Any disciplinary measures must be humane, and judicial proceedings must be fair.
Repatriation: POWs should be freed and repatriated at the end of a conflict.
Prohibited Actions:
Torture, both physical and mental.
Coercion to obtain information.
Unnecessary suffering or injury.
The bullet landed in the dirt track, a few centimetres away from the head of the captive. It was all for a laugh, part of humiliation and torture.
According to preliminary information, the sickening footage was captured somewhere in the Kharkiv region, where Russia is pushing ahead with an offensive.
Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets shared the clip on Telegram, warning of the torture that POWs are suffering.
‘Another mockery of Ukrainian prisoners of war. A video showing Russian soldiers mocking Ukrainian POWs is circulating on the Internet,’ he wrote.
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