UN human rights office: both Russia and Ukraine have tortured prisoners of war
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday that both Russia and Ukraine have tortured prisoners of war during the nearly-nine-month conflict, citing examples including the use of electric shocks and forced nudity.
Reuters reports the UN Ukraine-based monitoring team based its findings on interviews with more than 100 prisoners of war on each side of the conflict. The interviews with Ukrainian prisoners of war were conducted after their release, since Russia did not grant access to detention sites, it said.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine on 24 February, denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of PoWs. Kyiv has previously said it checks all information regarding the treatment of PoWs and will investigate any violations and take appropriate legal action.
The OHCHR has also issued updated civilian casualty figures for the war in a bulletin updated on Monday. It put the figure for civilian casualties at 6,557 killed and 10,074 injured. The bulletin adds:
Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and airstrikes. OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration.
Key events
Asked about reports that G20 leaders could agree to a draft communique rejecting the era of war and condemning the use of nuclear weapons, a spokesperson for Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, replied:
Obviously we want any communique, should it be agreed, to be as strong as possible, recognising that the G20 is a different forum to the G7 and that it’s largely focused on economic issues. But I wouldn’t comment as inevitably there’s more speculation about what may or may not be in it.
Asked if Sunak has become more confident that a statement will be agreed, they said:
I’m not going to put a prediction on the communique. What’s important is what actions come out of this. Continued support for Ukraine from a wide variety of countries.
Reports of Ukrainian forces retaking eastern bank of Kherson
Isobel Koshiw
Rumours have been circulating on Telegram channels that Ukrainian forces have retaken settlements on the eastern bank of Kherson region, after pushing Russian forces from the west bank on Friday. Kherson region is divided by the river Dnipro.
These rumours about a new stage in the Ukrainian offensive come in addition to a statement on Saturday by Ukraine’s southern command that combat activities were ongoing to retake the Kinburn peninsula, which sits just south of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions in the Black Sea.
But news about an offensive on those fronts was absent from the morning update from Ukraine’s general staff. Ukraine’s authorities often delay confirming a successful battle or operation until a day or two after its completion. They have also urged people to refrain from divulging the details of active battles or Ukrainian military plans so as not to give Russia a tactical advantage.
The head of Ukraine’s presidential administration Andriy Yermak played to the rumours that the Kinburn peninsula had been freed by posting cryptic emojis on his Telegram. The message including a wave emoji followed by a beach emoji and then the equals sign followed by a flexed muscle. Yermak has become known for his emoji messages. Later on Monday, he posted the word ‘Patience’.
The southern command’s Monday evening report stated that Russia had tried to attack the Ukrainian mainland town of Ochakiv from the Kinburn peninsula and that the Ukrainian forces had destroyed a large Russian ammunition stockpile in Oleshky, the town on the left bank that was rumoured to have been retaken.
The spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command Natalia Humeniuk said on Ukrainian United News on Tuesday that the south continued to be an area of ongoing battles so “we are keeping quiet about it now”.
However, speaking to Espresso TV, also on Tuesday, she said that Russian forces have retreated from their defensive positions along the left side of the river bank by some 15 to 20 kilometres in order to avoid being shelled by the Ukrainians.
“We do not stand still and (we) employ counter-battery fire, said Humeniuk, which includes multiple rocket laughers, artillery and mortars. “In connection with this…enemy troops on the left bank of the Dnipro (are) moving 15-20 km back from the shore”.
The head of football’s world governing body, Fifa, issued a plea on Tuesday for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine for the duration of the World Cup, calling for all sides to use the tournament as a “positive trigger” to work towards a resolution.
Gianni Infantino, speaking during a lunch with leaders of the G20 major economies on the Indonesian island of Bali, said the month-long World Cup, which starts in Qatar on Sunday, offered a unique platform for peace. Fifa’s president said:
My plea to all of you, to think on a temporary ceasefire for one month for the duration of the World Cup, or at least the implementation of some humanitarian corridors or anything that could lead to the resumption of dialogue as a first step to peace.
You’re the world leaders, you have the ability to influence the course of history. Football and the World Cup are offering you and the world a unique platform of unity and peace all over the world.
Russia reached the quarter-finals of the last World Cup in 2018, which it hosted, but has been barred from this tournament over its invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine came close to qualifying for Qatar but lost out to Wales in a deciding playoff in June.
Infantino noted that Russia hosted the 2018 edition and Ukraine is bidding to hold the 2030 contest, and as many as 5.5 billion people are expected to watch this year’s event, which could give a message of hope. He said:
Maybe the current World Cup, starting in five days, can be that positive trigger.
Summary of the day so far …
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In his address to world leaders gathered for the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy outlined a series of conditions needed to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking virtually from Ukraine, he said Russia must reaffirm the territorial integrity of Ukraine, withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory and pay compensation for damage caused. Zelenskiy is calling for an international conference to “cement key element of the postwar security architecture” and prevent a recurrence of “Russian aggression”.
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that Zelenskiy’s statement that there will be no “Minsk-3” deal to end the fighting in Ukraine confirms that Kyiv is not interested in holding peace talks with Moscow.
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The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday that both Russia and Ukraine have tortured prisoners of war during the nearly-nine-month conflict, citing examples including the use of electric shocks and forced nudity.
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Matilda Bogner, head of the monitoring mission, told a Geneva press briefing that the “vast majority” of Ukrainian prisoners they interviewed held by Russian forces reported torture and ill-treatment. She gave examples of dog attacks, electric shocks with Tasers and military phones and sexual violence. On the Ukrainian side, Bogner reported “credible allegations” of summary executions of Russian prisoners among other abuses.
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There are encouraging signs at the G20 meeting in Bali for a consensus that Russia’s war against Ukraine is not acceptable and that nuclear weapons must not be used, German chancellor Olaf Scholz has said. “This is a consensus that is gaining ground here,” he told the media.
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The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told reporters at the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday that the United Nations had told him of written US and EU promises to remove obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertilisers to world markets. Lavrov said he had received undertakings on this from the UN secretary general, António Guterres.
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India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has urged a return to diplomacy to end the Russia-Ukraine war, reiterating the south Asian nation’s call for peace in the ongoing conflict. “I have repeatedly said that we have to find a way to return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine,” Modi said in his opening remarks at the G20 summit.
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Germany will establish a maintenance hub in Slovakia to service and repair weapons it has delivered to Ukraine, German defence minister Christine Lambrecht said.
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Russia’s foreign ministry said it was working to ascertain details about the death of Zambian student on the frontline in Ukraine. Zambia on Monday asked Russia to explain how one of its citizens who had been serving a prison sentence in Moscow had ended up on the battlefield in Ukraine.
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Zelenskiy has said Russian troops have “destroyed absolutely all critical infrastructure” in Kherson. “There is no electricity, no communication, no internet, no television … Russian occupiers destroyed absolutely all critical infrastructure for the people,” he said in his Monday evening address. Ukrainian national energy company Ukrenergo said Russia also destroyed key energy infrastructure in the region. “The energy facility that provided power supply to the entire right bank of the Kherson region and a significant part of the Mykolaiv region, is practically destroyed,” Ukrenergo chief Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will hand you over to Léonie Chao-Fong, and I will be back later on.
Reuters is carrying some additional details on the allegation that both Ukrainian and Russian forces have mistreated prisoners of war during the conflict.
Matilda Bogner, head of the UN’s OHCHR monitoring mission, told a Geneva press briefing that the “vast majority” of Ukrainian prisoners they interviewed held by Russian forces reported torture and ill-treatment.
She gave examples of dog attacks, electric shocks with Tasers and military phones and sexual violence.
She said the treatment was aimed at intimidating and humiliating them. One man in a penal colony near Olenivka told the team that members of Russian-affiliated armed groups “attached wires to my genitalia and nose and shocked me. They simply had fun and were not interested in my replies to their questions.”
On the Ukrainian side, Bogner reported “credible allegations” of summary executions of Russian prisoners among other abuses.
Other Russian prisoners reported poor and humiliating conditions of transport and of being packed into trucks or vans naked, with their hands tied behind their backs. The UN team said it had also documented cases of so-called “welcome beatings” at a penal colony.
There are encouraging signs at the G20 meeting in Bali for a consensus that Russia’s war against Ukraine is not acceptable and that nuclear weapons must not be used, German chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.
“This is a consensus that is gaining ground here,” Reuters reports he told the media in Bali.
Asked about a conversation with the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, Scholz said: “He stood near me and said a couple of sentences, that was the conversation.”
Scholz also said he would continue to talk to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, to find solutions to end the war against Ukraine.
UN human rights office: both Russia and Ukraine have tortured prisoners of war
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday that both Russia and Ukraine have tortured prisoners of war during the nearly-nine-month conflict, citing examples including the use of electric shocks and forced nudity.
Reuters reports the UN Ukraine-based monitoring team based its findings on interviews with more than 100 prisoners of war on each side of the conflict. The interviews with Ukrainian prisoners of war were conducted after their release, since Russia did not grant access to detention sites, it said.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine on 24 February, denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of PoWs. Kyiv has previously said it checks all information regarding the treatment of PoWs and will investigate any violations and take appropriate legal action.
The OHCHR has also issued updated civilian casualty figures for the war in a bulletin updated on Monday. It put the figure for civilian casualties at 6,557 killed and 10,074 injured. The bulletin adds:
Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and airstrikes. OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told reporters at the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday that the United Nations had told him of written US and EU promises to remove obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertilisers to world markets.
Lavrov said he had received undertakings on this from the UN secretary general, António Guterres, Reuters reports.
Russian grains and fertilisers are not directly targeted by western sanctions, but Moscow has complained for months that they are effectively restricted because the sanctions limit access to ports, finance and insurance.
Oleksandr Syenkevych, the mayor of Mykolaiv, has reported on Telegram that there is an air raid alert in place in the city.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is giving a press briefing at the G20 summit in Bali. We will bring you fuller quotes in due course, but so far he has accused the west of trying to politicise the traditional joint message at the end of the summit by mentioning Ukraine. He also said that he had discussed Ukraine with German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron, that the hybrid war in Ukraine had been started by the west, and that Ukraine was prolonging the conflict.
