The nightmare of the Ukrainian health volunteer at the hands of the Russians: “They tortured me by electrocuting me”

“In general, the physical violence was constant and arbitrary. They hit us for any reason with some tubes in their hands,” the Ukrainian doctor told EFE.

Paievska, 53, told representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) about the months she was held in captivity and thus The inhuman treatment of Ukrainian prisoners at the hands of the Russians.

Known in Ukraine as ‘Taira’, a character from the World of Warcraft video game, the volunteer is known in his country. In 2014, he founded a group of volunteer doctors called Los Ángeles de Taira. He treats the wounded in Donbass.

between 2018 and 2020 He was in charge of a military hospital in Mariupol, and then continued to work as a volunteer.. After the Russian invasion on February 24 and the siege of Mariupol, he helped civilians flee the city under constant bombardment.

terrible conditions

She was also unable to communicate with her husband and daughter during her three-month captivity in the occupied Donetsk region, where she was captured on March 16. Turning into a symbol of resistance, the Ukrainian president announced his release on 17 June. Volodymyr Zelensky.

Paievska tells EFE: He was kept in solitary confinement and deprived of thyroid medication for ten days. He then had to share a cell of only 12 square meters with 21 women.

There were only ten beds, and the guards did not allow them to sit or rest during the day. Physical violence was constant.

“We had a hard time when someone fell ill in our cell because we knew that if anyone came in they would beat him.‘ he points.

Paievska explains that the conditions in the centers where she is located are terrible, there are not enough warm clothes and the patients do not receive any medical treatment.

And it describes the case of two women who survived a heart attack despite having a residence permit, which was all they had for their recovery.

The hygienic conditions were also deplorable: “I was only able to shower once in three months,” she says.

“While the women were showering, they showered in front of the male guards. It was extremely humiliating for many, and it affected them psychologically,” he adds.

paevska He lost more than 15 kilos from malnutrition. There were no basic hygiene items either: “They didn’t give us toothpaste, brushes, anything. They didn’t give us towels either,” she accuses.

Many of his colleagues had psychological problems because of this situation: “They tried to humiliate us all the time,” he says. they were constantly chanting the Russian anthem or pro-Russian slogans, or insulting them by saying “Nazi” or “Fascist”.

He says this is a way of “dehumanizing” them and explains that he cannot tell many other details for fear of harming the prisoners still in the hands of the Russians.

Neither the red cross nor the UN

Paievska accuses that neither the Red Cross, the UN, nor any international organization has been able to enter Russian detention centers in the occupied areas of Ukraine, and calls on the international community to increase the pressure on Russia.

The volunteer knows that being a public figure and having disseminated some footage of his work before he was caught allowed him to engage in a prisoner swap.

The day before his arrest, Paievska handed two journalists from the US Associated Press agency, who had managed to leave Mariupol, with a memory card containing more than 200 GB of pictures documenting his work in treating all kinds of wounded.

Paievska believes that those responsible for this inhumane treatment will be held accountable before the Justice of Ukraine in the future.

“If these Crimes They are not penalized, they are processed again. It is in everyone’s interest to punish these behaviors.‘ reveals.

Her story and experiences match up with UN complaints about the ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners in Russian detention centres.

This Tuesday, a United Nations delegation of human rights monitors working in Ukraine confirmed with “a considerable degree of certainty” a series of tortures carried out by Russian forces and their allies, using methods such as electric shocks, beatings or burns.

UN experts say that while prisoners are tortured on both sides, those on the Russian side are “systematic”.