Many released Ukrainian defenders subjected to torture in captivity – intelligence

Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said this at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Everyone is in a different state, that's true. There are individuals who are in more or less normal physical condition, except for chronic malnutrition due to bad conditions of detention. There are individuals who were subjected to very cruel torture. And, unfortunately, the percentage of such individuals among those whom we returned is quite large," Budanov said.

He noted that the prisoners were not divided into any categories. The different condition can be explained by the fact that they were held not as initially planned, in one place, in enivka, but in different places both in the occupied territories of Ukraine and in Russia.

As reported, on September 21, as a result of prisoner swap, more than 200 Ukrainian defenders, including 124 officers, as well as 10 foreigners, were returned from Russian captivity. Viktor Medvedchuk, suspected of treason, and 55 Russian sdiers were returned to the Russian side.

Among the freed Ukrainians are 188 Azovstal defenders, including 108 warriors of the Azov regiment, National Guard service members, marines, border guards, pice officers, members of territorial defense forces, SBU employees. Five Azov commanders released from Russian captivity are now in safe conditions in Turkey.

Photo: SBU