Statement by Pablo de Greiff, Commissioner of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, to United Nations Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting

Madam President,

Excellencies,

Thank you for organising this highly relevant and timely meeting and inviting the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to brief the Council. I am also honoured to be here with other briefers who have themselves been detained and endured grave violations and actively contribute to raising awareness about the situation of detainees.

For over two mandates, the Commission has highlighted the wide array of violations and corresponding crimes in the framework of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, as well as their devastating impact on victims, their families, and communities.

The Commission has reiterated repeatedly its deep concern regarding the widespread and systematic use of torture by the Russian Federation against civilians and prisoners of war. In our October 2024 report to the General Assembly, we concluded that Russian authorities have committed torture as a coordinated state policy and, hence, crimes against humanity.

We reached this conclusion after gathering evidence for over two and a half years concerning multiple patterns in the way Russian authorities committed torture in all regions of Ukraine, where they took control of territories and in detention facilities in eight regions of the Russian Federation.

We found that different services and security forces of the Russian Federation have acted in a coordinated manner and according to a division of labour in the commission of torture. In well-established detention facilities, regular personnel of the Federal Penitentiary Service, known as “FSIN”, and its special purpose units, known as “Spetsnaz”, impose routine harsh practices designed to scare, break, humiliate, coerce and punish detainees. A violent “admission procedure” intended to terrify detainees upon arrival, recurrent beatings in various areas of detention facilities and on various parts of detainees’ bodies, intrusive body searches, a prohibition to sit, sleep deprivation, stress positions, forced physical exercise, and prolonged nudity, are among some routine practices of which we have evidence. Compliance with imposed rules is monitored through surveillance cameras and severe collective punishment is imposed for any behaviour perceived as a breach. These practices have been transposed from detention facilities in the Russian Federation to those that come under their authority in occupied areas of Ukraine.

Multiple testimonies from former detainees demonstrated that the leadership of detention facilities or other higher-ranking Russian authorities have ordered, encouraged, tolerated or taken no action to stop such treatment. In addition, three former members of the FSIN, whom we managed to interview after they left their service, referred to guidance by hierarchic superiors as to how Ukrainian prisoners should be treated.

Two of them recounted commanders who instructed personnel “to work harshly and with no pity” on Ukrainian detainees. A third such interlocutor stated that the regional head of the medical unit had directed the doctors not to forget that “prisoners are enemies”. 

Interrogations, aimed at extracting information or eliciting false confessions, are generally led by personnel of the Federal Security Service, known as FSB, and in the presence of personnel of FSIN and Spetsnaz. We documented some of the most violent treatment during interrogations, including severe and repeated beatings, sessions of electric shocks with wires attached to various parts of the detainees’ bodies, at times in combination with water to amplify the effects of the electricity, burns, and suffocation. Some categories of persons were targeted in particular during interrogations: civilians accused of collaborating with Ukrainian armed forces or authorities, prisoners of war from Mariupol or western Ukraine, officers, and those not fluent in Russian.

Another disturbing element is the recurrent use of sexual violence as a form of torture in detention facilities held by Russian authorities. In large detention facilities, detainees are subjected collectively to long periods of forced nudity, intrusive body searches, and attacks on genital organs through beatings and electric shocks with tasers, including in the showers, as they are naked and wet. We also documented individual acts of rape and attempted rape, electric shocks using wires and burns to the genital area, castration and sexual mutilation. Male former detainees reported intentional attacks on their reproductive organs. For instance, a perpetrator told a former detainee, “I will beat everything out of you, so you cannot make children.” Others shared similar experiences.

Medical care is generally denied in detention facilities, even in situations where detainees had serious, visible, or life-threatening injuries. In some instances, this led to death or severe and irreversible medical complications. After the blast that occurred in July 2022 in the well-known Olenivka colony, a blast in which dozens of Ukrainian soldiers were killed, Russian authorities did not provide necessary medical assistance to severely injured soldiers. Basic aid was provided by fellow co-detainees, while the leadership of the colony “stood and watched” as Ukrainian prisoners of war died from serious injuries. In some cases, medical personnel in detention facilities was even involved in committing negligent or abusive acts against detainees in the Russian Federation, in breach of their ethical standards. The denial of medical care demonstrates a further disregard by Russian authorities for the dignity and the rights of the detainees. Through such a conduct, Russian authorities have in addition violated the international humanitarian law provisions concerning the health and integrity of detainees.

Distinguished President,

Excellencies,

Now, to one of the most painful parts of my statement: the profound and long-lasting impact of the violations on the victims and their families.

Former prisoners described the severe physical and psychological consequences they have had to endure after recurrent torture, often with long-term complications, including disability. Many still suffer from pain and trauma, citing broken bones and teeth; bleeding, swelling and infected or gangrened body parts; difficulties breathing, walking and sleeping; poor eyesight; and damage to various organs. Some of the victims underwent or are still undergoing complex medical interventions. A former detainee told the Commission, “No creature alive deserves to be treated like Russians treat Ukrainians in their detention facilities.”

But in addition to physical trauma, victims emphasised the grave psychological impact of the violations. Many have developed post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, and some have attempted suicide. They mentioned suffering from memory loss, difficulties in communicating, resorting to drinking. Victims conveyed their constant fear of being detained again and of being subjected to the same ordeal.

Many of the victims found their reintegration into social and even family life to be particularly challenging. Their situation has in many cases in addition led to displacement, family separations, loss of jobs and livelihoods. They communicated a desperate need for more comprehensive assistance and support in their reintegration efforts.

The Commission has emphasized the importance of comprehensive and victim-centred accountability, which includes judicial and non-judicial measures. Non-judicial measures are paramount for the rehabilitation process of the victims and include truth, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence. Mental health and psychosocial support continue to be in urgent need of up-scaling.

Further, victims and their families have stressed their vital need for perpetrators to be punished in accordance with the law. Identifying and prosecuting perpetrators is key to ending the culture of impunity and may contribute to the victims’ sense of justice.

We are ready to continue our investigations. We are aware of the multiplicity of efforts carried out by many organisations in this regard. The Commission reiterates its call for coordination of the efforts on this important matter, in order to achieve meaningful results.

Thank you for your attention.