Since the liberation of Kherson on Nov. 11, 2022, more than 20 torture chambers have been investigated by a team of Ukrainian and International lawyers, according to a March 2 article by the Guardian.
“The mass torture chambers, financed by the Russian state, are not random but rather part of a carefully thought-out and financed blueprint with a clear objective to eliminate Ukrainian national and cultural identity,” said British barrister Wayne Jordash, head of the Mobile Justice Team, a collective of international investigators working with the Prosecutor General's Office.
Furthermore, as reported by NV, the torture centers were run by Russian security services as well as local collaborators, including Kherson collaborator Volodymyr Saldo. "We don't know exactly what role Saldo had, but he participated in the management of this system," said Jordash.
The prisoners, including teachers, journalists, or activists, were forced into the chambers for any link to the Ukrainian state or civil society. Residents were also regularly stopped on the streets and searched for having “pro-Ukrainian” material on their phones.
Victims were subject to physical beatings, electric shock torture, and waterboarding and were forced to learn and recite pro-Russian slogans, poems, and songs.
According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, thousands of Ukrainians were physically and mentally abused in such facilities.
