Russia starves most Ukrainian POWs, then “fattens” a few for exchange so they look normal, Ukrainian official says
Ukraine's intelligence confirms Russia is forming battalions from Ukrainian POWs and keeps cells where it feeds up prisoners.
Ukrainian officials reveal that Russia is forcing Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) into its own army, starving some, and fattening others for potential prisoner exchanges, according to Andrii Pasternak of the SBU's Joint Center for coordinating the search and release of prisoners. Ukrainian intelligence also suggests Russia is forming battalions from these POWs, with estimates of around 7,000 Ukrainian service members currently held captive by Russia and between 10,000 to 20,000 civilian detainees in between.
Pasternak confirms the existence of these POW battalions and notes that they are monitored and confirmed by Ukrainian intelligence and foreign intelligence sources.
Forcing POWs to serve in the captor's forces is itself a war crime, as it violates the Geneva Conventions which prohibit compelling a prisoner to fight against their own country. Russia's selective method of fattening some POWs while starving others is intended to create a more convincing appearance during prisoner exchanges, drawing on testimony from released Ukrainian defenders and returned civilians.
The deliberate starvation is considered an element of torture, with some prisoners being intentionally deprived of food while others are fed to appear more normal for exchange. Ukraine's negotiators consistently point out the stark differences between the conditions of the returning Ukrainian prisoners, who are often emaciated with only a few in decent condition, versus the well-fed Russian POWs returned by Ukraine.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
