Russia must erase Ukraine cities 'from face of earth' says host
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The war in Ukraine has seen stories of harrowing brutality as Russia attacks the country. After Vladimir Putin’s forces retreated from various regions of Ukraine over the last eight months, evidence of war crimes has mounted, including the killing of civilians. While the Ukrainian troops have surprised the world with their impressive military performance, many have been captured by the Russians and subjected to horrendous treatment in prison camps. In September, a prisoner meant some Ukrainian soldiers were set free, allowing them to share what Russia is doing to its prisoners of war.
In October, Lt Illia Samoilenko was able to tell his story. He was one of the many fighters trying to defend the city of Mariupol, located in southern Ukraine. Lt Samoilenko and his colleagues refused to surrender until their superiors eventually ordered them to stand down.
Once Russian forces had taken Mariupol, the Ukrainian troops were sent to Kremlin-backed territory in Donetsk before being transported to an undisclosed location in Russia. It was here that Lt Samoilenko witnessed the torture and inhumane conditions being inflicted upon his fellow soldiers.
Speaking to the BBC in October, he said that “people who are captured are tortured by the Russians”. While Moscow has denied torturing prisoners of war, many Ukrainians have similar accounts to the one made by Lt Samoilenko.
He added: “I wasn’t physically tortured, so it was far from the things people suffered in other places. They didn’t care about the Geneva [Conventions]. They don’t care about the lives of people.
“The Russians are also watching these interviews. When they see our happy faces, they’re becoming more mad.”
Lt Samoilenko added that he and his fellow fighters thought they were “dead men” when they were brought to the prison. While he is grateful to have been released thanks to a prisoner swap, he regrets that many of his “comrades and battle brothers” remain in captivity with “the Russians were still torturing them, keeping them in inhumane conditions”.
Mikhailo Dianov, a Ukrainian marine, also shared his chilling story with Sky News in October. He spent four months in a prison, and came out with an emaciated body after being starved.
Like Lt Samoilenko, he was also taken from Mariupol and released during the prisoner swap in September. Speaking about his experiences, Mr Dianov said: “Believe me, after a month of being starved, when you close your eyes, you forget about your family, about your country, about everything. The only thing you think about is food.
“It was impossible to eat. You were given 30 seconds for each meal. In 30 seconds you had to eat everything you could.
“Bread was deliberately very hard. Guys who had their teeth knocked out couldn’t manage to eat in time.
“It was 30 seconds, and then you had to stop. Then you had to get up straight away and run. It was like that all the time. They treated us like animals.”
While Putin’s invasion has caused great suffering for the Ukrainians, reports in recent days show that the Russians are still struggling to achieve their military objectives.
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As a result, the Kremlin has mobilised more men to go and fight in Ukraine, but it appears they are being left to survive in poor conditions.
As reported by the Telegraph, a video released last week showed Russian soldiers claiming to be from the city of Krasnodar living in holes with no ammunition or medicine.
One soldier said: “There is no information, no command. We sit like on [tenterhooks], because we do not know where are our own [and] where are the enemy. No radio, no cartridges, no s***.”
Another added: “No shovel, nothing with us… We live just in the field… They bring some food, literally two times a day. We burn fires, chop trees, dig.”
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