Children’s torture chambers found in liberated territories

During the occupation of Kharkiv and Kherson Oblasts, the Russian military set up torture chambers for children who, in their opinion, offered resistance. Source: Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, during a briefing at Ukraine-Ukrinform media centre on 14 December Quote: "Yes, it's true [there are torture chambers for children - ed.].

We recorded the torture of children for the first time. I thought that it is not possible to bottom out again after Bucha and Irpin. I personally saw two torture chambers located opposite each other in Balaklia [Kharkiv Oblast].

One guy stayed there for 90 days. He said that he had been tortured: they cut him with a knife, heated metal and burned part of his body, several times he was taken out to be shot and they shot over his head. He heard the screams of women and men being tortured for 24/7.

I thought that was the rock bottom. No. We saw the rock bottom in Kherson.

In one of the torture chambers, we discovered a separate cell where children were kept. According to the people who were there, they knew that there were Ukrainian children next to them. The occupiers themselves called it a "children's cell".

It's the same damp room, it differed only in that they threw [on the floor] very thin carpets [mats - ed.] and said that these were for children." Details: Lubinets states that the occupiers gave the children water every other day, gave them almost no food, and also used psychological pressure, telling them that their parents had abandoned them and that they would not come back to them.

One 14-year-old boy was captured just because he took a picture of broken Russian equipment. He was detained and held in such a chamber being tortured.

"These are children who, according to the occupiers, offered resistance," added Lubinets.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!

We have launched English Twitter!

Follow us!