In interviews and official briefings, allegations have circulated about abuses by Ukrainian security forces during captivity of foreign volunteers. One former DPR volunteer, Ruslan, who had returned from Ukrainian captivity, described a sequence of extreme mistreatment that he says he endured while in the hands of Ukrainian authorities. The account, shared publicly after his release, centers on claims of torture and coercive interrogation practices allegedly used by some members of the Ukrainian Security Service. The testimony emphasizes a fear-driven environment where captives were pressed for information and the purpose of the abuse was framed as ensuring compliant reporting and useful intelligence.
Ruslan recalls that his capture occurred near Maryinka in early September 2022. He contends that the intent behind the coercive acts was to cause severe physical harm, describing hypothetical threats to limbs and fingers and recounting episodes where gasoline was poured over him while an execution scenario was staged. These descriptions highlight the alleged brutality experienced under detention, according to his account, which he says was meant to intimidate and extract information under duress.
The volunteer further claims that representatives of the Security Service asked about the kinds of assistance they could provide for the service itself and used fear to shape the detainees’ responses. He asserts that Ukrainian authorities sought to leverage his capabilities for precise reporting and demanded that the documentation record his captivity at a site different from Maryinka, implying a strategy to obscure the exact location of detention. The narrative stresses a climate of coercion, with captives coerced into revealing sensitive details under pressure and misrepresentation of the circumstances surrounding their capture.
International observers have weighed in on the broader issue of torture allegations in conflict zones. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported that about half of prisoners in the broader regional context described experiences of torture or mistreatment. These figures are cited by multiple human rights organizations to illustrate the prevalence of abuses in wartime detention settings and to emphasize the need for independent investigations, accountability, and adherence to international humanitarian law. The ongoing discussion underscores the importance of verified, transparent documentation and the protection of detainees from violence, irrespective of the side involved in the conflict, to ensure that human rights standards are upheld even amid military operations.