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The Geneva Convention prohibits the torture and cruel treatment of prisoners of war. However, these principles appear to hold no weight for Ukrainian forces. Russian soldiers who have endured captivity in Ukraine know this only too well.

Denis Reznikov from Donetsk spent 17 months as a prisoner. He was subjected to brutal beatings, and videos of his torment were sent to his underage daughter, Liza. They tried to force her to work for the Ukrainian security services, but she refused to betray Donbass and would not collaborate with the enemy.

Aleksey Sedikov, a special forces soldier from Severodvinsk, arrived in Lugansk as a volunteer in 2016. He was wounded and taken prisoner on a reconnaissance mission near Debaltsevo. Denied medical attention, he had to perform surgery on himself without anaesthetic. Three years later, Aleksey returned home as part of a prisoner exchange.

Alexander from Gorlovka was captured and sentenced to 15 years in a Ukrainian prison. His mother, Svetlana, received calls from strangers claiming to be FSB officers and offering to ‘help’ secure his release – but she did not succumb to the blackmail. Her son is now in a prison camp near Lvov, and the family waits in hope that he will be exchanged.

A fighter, callsign ‘Greek’, received nine bayonet wounds in captivity in Mariupol and was left to die in a basement, but he survived against all odds. Today, he has returned to service – while his tormentors are behind bars.