Russia planned torture in the occupied Ukrainian territories – international lawyers

In the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russians have created a network of at least 20 torture centers, which are part of a well-thought-out Russian strategy to destroy Ukrainian identity, Ukrainian and international lawyers say. Such torture facilities, in particular, functioned in Kherson.

Source: CNN

Details: The publication talked about Russian torture with the head of the Mobile Justice Group, Wayne Jordash. This group is a team of international investigators who provide support to the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General.

“These places of captivity are interconnected, they behave very similarly, if not identically,” he said.

The lawyers’ investigation reportedly revealed that Russian forces in several occupied areas followed a very specific plan, with clear patterns that point to a general plan for Moscow’s occupation of Ukraine. According to Dzhordash, the occupiers envisage three stages in the destruction of Ukrainian resistance.

“The first stage, in essence, is to detain and, in many cases, kill the category of people who are called “leaders”, that is, those who could physically resist the occupation, as well as those who could resist by means of culture “, said Jordash.

The second stage, he noted, is a kind of filtering process, when the population that remains outside the dungeons is subject to constant monitoring and filtering, so that everyone who is suspected of having links with “leaders” or organizing any resistance is also identified and deported to Russia or were kept in torture chambers and subjected to torture.

According to Dzhordash, these methods were used not only in Kherson, but also in other areas occupied by Russian troops, such as Bucha and Borodyanka in the Kiev region. However, he added, the long occupation of Kherson allowed the Russian troops to go even further.

“The third stage is the destruction of identity. This may include the removal of the Ukrainian curriculum from schools and the confiscation of items that are considered pro-Ukrainian, such as flags or T-shirts with national colors. In essence, the population is isolated in order to destroy all traces of Ukrainian identity,” he explained He.

CNN writes that Ukrainian and international investigators also said they found financial links between the torture chambers and the Russian state.

“These torture centers have financial ties to the Russian state. Financial documents show that the civil administration is financed from Russia, and the civil administration finances the torture centers. Therefore, we have very clear schemes and very clear connections,” Jordash said, referring to documents found by investigators. .

CNN was unable to independently verify the documents cited by the investigators’ investigation. Jordash explained that these are only preliminary results of the investigation, and more evidence of Russian war crimes is still being discovered and processed.

“For me, Kherson is interesting because you really see a microcosm of a common criminal plan, what would happen to Ukraine if Russia succeeded in occupying vast territories of Ukraine,” Dzhordash stressed.

In his opinion, a larger Russian occupation would lead to an unprecedented number of detentions, torture and killings.

CNN has asked the Russian government to comment on the allegations made by Ukrainian and international investigators, but has yet to receive a response.