A former officer in the Russian army has spoken to the BBC about war crimes and human rights abuses he says he witnessed in Ukraine.
Konstantin Yefremov was a first lieutenant in a squad in the Russian army, but was eventually dismissed when he refused to go back to Ukraine, and has now escaped from Russia, writes BBC.
In the interview, he says that Ukrainian men were repeatedly tortured, shot and threatened with rape during interrogation.
– Soldiers and officers looted everything they could, he says.
Russian officer: – We tortured Ukrainians
– Lots of brutality
Ukraine researcher Tobias Sæther at Forsvarets högskole tells Dagbladet that Jefremov’s stories from Ukraine only add to the series of several anecdotal evidence and investigations that reveal how Russian forces commit several war crimes and human rights violations.
Among other things, he highlights the UN’s Ukraine investigation, led by the Norwegian former Supreme Court judge Erik Møse, which, among other things, states that Ukrainian children as young as four have been raped and tortured by Russian soldiers.
– We can determine that there is a lot of brutality on the Russian side and we can determine that what we see is only the tip of the iceberg, he says.
He points out that it is difficult to ascertain how much torture is taking place.
– We will never be able to quantify for sure how much torture is taking place, but it is becoming very clear that there is a pattern of torture, says Sæther.
MASS GRAVES: In April, several mass graves were found in the town of Butsja. Since then, more hair-raising details have been uncovered about what the civilian population must have been exposed to. Photo: AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd/NTB
sea view
Tells about torture
The BBC has verified that he took part in the invasion and occupation of areas in the Zaporizhzhya region of southeastern Ukraine.
He tells of a day when three Ukrainian prisoners of war were brought in to a premises north-east of Melitopol in April.
– Wants the conflict to end
– One of them admitted that he was a sharpshooter. The colonel was furious. He hit him, pulled down his pants and asked if he was married. When the prisoner answered yes, the officer asked for a mop. “We’ll turn you into a girl and send your wife the video,” said the colonel.
Furthermore, Jefremov tells of interrogations where officers threatened to shoot a prisoner who was blindfolded, but instead shot both sides of his head. The BBC cannot verify the claims, but they are consistent with a number of allegations of torture by Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russian prisoners of war have also been subjected to war crimes.
Jefremov chose to resign from the military. When a partial mobilization was announced in Russia in September, he knew he was in danger and fled the country.
– I apologize to the entire Ukrainian nation for having entered their home as an uninvited guest with weapons in their hands, says Yefremov.
He denies that he himself injured or killed anyone.
– I do not have the moral right to ask for forgiveness from the Ukrainians. I can’t forgive myself, so I can’t expect them to forgive me.
– The most important matches are coming
– Brutality on a structural level
Sæter points out that since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago, there have been several indications that the Russian military and the privately owned military group Wagner are committing torture and abuse against Ukrainians and Russians.
– This is a pattern we see developing from the Russian side. The Russian military is known for being brutal. The most famous and brutal examples are those committed in Butsja, he says, adding:
– Here, brutality takes place on a structural level which affects people daily.
