More than 5,500 Ukrainians have reportedly been tortured by Putin’s troops, while over 10,000 peaceful civilians are being held in occupied territories, Kyiv has said.
Prosecutor general Andriy Kostin told Interfax-Ukraine: “There are different figures. We estimate tens of thousands, more than 10,000 for sure. We are talking only about those who were forcibly relocated, not about those who made this decision at their own discretion.”
He added that 164 torture sites and forced detention centres had been documented in liberated territories, while a UN human rights report found that at least 32 prisoners of war were executed in Russia this winter.
The Kremlin has strongly denied any allegations of torture or maltreatment.
It comes after a Ukrainian navy spokesperson claimed they had sunk or disabled a third of all Russian warships in the Black Sea, with four ships hit in the latest strike over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) made the bizarre claim that the US, the UK, and Ukraine were all somehow involved in the terror attack on a Moscow concert hall that killed 139 people on Friday.
An Isis affiliate has already claimed responsibility for the attack, including publishing purported video of it being carried out, and Western intelligence agencies say the claim is credible.
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Ukraine spy chief details assassination campaign against Ukrainians collaborating with Russia
Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 March 2024 20:00
Nearly 100 people still missing after Moscow attack, Russian news site says
As many as 95 people are still missing after last week’s attack near Moscow when gunmen sprayed concertgoers with automatic weapons and set the venue on fire, a Russian news outlet reported on Wednesday.
The official toll from the attack on Crocus City Hall now stands at 140 dead and 182 wounded. But the Baza news service, which has good contacts in Russian security and law enforcement, said 95 more people appeared in lists compiled by the emergency services based on appeals from people about missing relatives.
“These lists include people with whom relatives have not been able to get in touch since the terrorist attack, but who are not on the lists of wounded and dead,” Baza said. “Some of these people died, but have not yet been identified.”
Nearly 100 people are still missing after the terror attack on a concert hall
(AP)
Russian investigators said the attack was carried out by four shooters using Kalashnikov automatic weapons. More than 500 rounds were found at the scene.
The shooting began shortly before the Soviet-era rock group “Picnic” was set to play to a full house of 6,200 people. More than 200 people could have been in the blazing building moments before the roof collapsed, Baza reported on Saturday, citing emergency service sources who reviewed surveillance footage.
Holly Evans27 March 2024 19:00
Russia uses bombs in airstrike on Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
Russia attacked the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with guided bombs on Wednesday for the first time since 2022, damaging a school and a residential area, regional police said.
“Kharkiv was hit by aerial bombs – for the first time since 2022,” Serhiy Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the regional police, said on Facebook.
Holly Evans27 March 2024 18:00
Ukraine spy chief details assassination campaign against Ukrainians collaborating with Russia
Maryam Zakir-Hussain27 March 2024 17:08
