Russian forces are abducting, torturing, and killing civilians living in the occupied left bank of the Ukrainian Kherson region since the onset of the full-scale invasion in 2022 – and they continue to do so.

The village of Hornostaivka, located on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson region, has become a center of Russian occupation terror since its capture in 2022.

Anyone can be a target: former Ukrainian soldiers, weapon owners, businessmen whose properties Russian forces covet, or even someone greeting others in a shop with “Glory to Ukraine.”

Russian forces have set up a torture chamber in Hornostaivka, where hundreds of people may have been subjected to its horrors. Many have vanished without a trace, like Oleksandr Slisarenko, who was taken from his home by Russian forces in August 2022.

Some have been tortured to death, like Ruslan Rusnak, who was taken in November 2023.

Though access to Russian-controlled territory is nearly impossible, testimonies from dozens of witnesses have allowed us to identify some of those responsible for the terror.