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☆ Ukrainian POWs said Russians gave them electric shocks and starved them, often extracting false confessions to make it stop
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Ukrainian prisoners of war said they were beaten, shocked, and not given enough food by Russia. They told the BBC that many Ukrainians gave false confessions because of the beatings. A Ukrainian human-rights group told the BBC that Russia used apparent false confessions by Ukrainians against them in court. Other former prisoners of war who were at Taganrog told the BBC that prisoners of war there gave false confessions after they were threatened and intimidated. They also told the BBC they were not given enough food, inspected daily, beaten, given electric shocks, and interrogated.

Persons: Artem Seredniak, We'll, Seredniak, Serhii Rotchuk, Dmytro Lubinets Organizations: BBC, Service, Azov Regiment, United Nations, UN, Wagner Group, Washington Post Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Mariupol, Ukraine, Russia's, Taganrog, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ UN says Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk not killed by rocket, as Russia claimed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The prisoners being held in a Russian-controlled detention facility in Olenivka, in the eastern Donetsk region, were killed by an apparent explosion July 28-29 2022. Unverified Russia media video footage showed the burned out remains of the prison and charred bodies. Russia's defence ministry said at the time that a missile strike by a U.S.-made HIMARS rocket was responsible. Kyiv, which frequently raises the incident, has maintained that Russia conducted the explosion at the Olenivka prison in order to hide mistreatment of the Ukrainian captives held inside. The U.N. rights office has previously said both Russia and Ukraine have abused prisoners of war during the conflict, although the former has done so on a bigger scale.

Persons: Human Rights Volker Turk, Emma Farge, Max Hunder, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Human Rights, UN, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Donetsk, Russian, Olenivka, Russia, U.S, Kyiv, Moscow, Ukraine

We are not bound by the West’s sanctions,” Erdogan told CNN’s Becky Anderson. APBy contrast, Erdogan has doubled down on his relationship with Putin – and he thinks the West should follow suit. “This was possible because of our special relationship with President Putin,” he told CNN, referring to the grain deal. In his interview with CNN, Erdogan tackled another key flashpoint in Turkish tensions with the West: Sweden’s accession to NATO. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells CNN's Becky Anderson, left, he expects voters who value stability and confidence to back him in the May 28 runoff vote.

CNN —A mural depicting a fallen Ukrainian soldier executed by Russian forces in 2022 has appeared in the heart of Kyiv on the side of a government building. The sighting was celebrated in a Facebook post by the Ukrainian parliament on Saturday. In the video, he was seen pulling a cigarette and saying: “Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine)” – before fighters off camera fired several shots at him. Glory to Ukraine.”Zelensky posthumously awarded Matsiyevsky Ukraine’s highest honor, the “Hero of Ukraine” medal later that month. There, a common idea arose to create a mural in Kyiv,” the Parliament said.

☆ Nuclear workers describe beatings, detention, and looting by Russian soldiers to force them to keep a Ukrainian power plant running
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former workers at a Ukrainian nuclear power plant have spoken about mistreatment by Russian soldiers. They described being shot with rubber bullets, beatings, and detention and witnessing murders. The UN says that "the use of torture by Russian authorities, may amount to crimes against humanity." It included, a source told The Times, being shot with rubber bullets, beatings, and detention — and, if they continued to show support for Ukraine — murder. Earlier this week, a Ukrainian woman delivered harrowing testimony to US lawmakers, recounting scenes of torture, physical abuse, and mock executions.

☆ Top Ukraine cleric accused of glorifying Russian invasion appears in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The hearing was adjourned to Monday after the cleric, Metropolitan Pavlo of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), complained of ill health. The court appearance came after Pavlo was questioned by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which presented the cleric with a series of accusations on the same issue shortly before. The UOC has been accused of maintaining links to the pro-invasion Russian Orthodox Church, which used to be its parent church but with which the UOC says it all broke ties in May 2022. The UOC is Ukraine's second-largest church, though most Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to a separate branch of the faith, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formed four years ago by uniting branches independent of Moscow's authority. In a video posted to the UOC website earlier in the day, Pavlo said he condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Russian soldiers are shocked by the 'horrible reality' in Ukraine and often regret going, says YouTuber who spoke to more than 200 after they were captured
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He told Insider that there are common themes among captives: ignorance and regret. Zolkin, a former lawyer, became a YouTube hit last March when he started posting interviews with captured Russian soldiers. He said he always asks the Russian soldiers, on camera, if they want to be interviewed beforehand. "Unfortunately, they are all in the vacuum of Russian propaganda, and nobody tells them what is actually going on," Zolkin told Insider. He said many of the Russian soldiers he interviewed have also since been brought back home.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: 'The enemy is raging,' Ukraine says, after Russia unleashes wave of drone and missile strikes across the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian serviceman guards an area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in territory under Russian military control, in southeastern Ukraine, on May 1, 2022. The power supply to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was lost as a result of missile attacks on Ukraine. "The last line of communication between the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Ukrainian power system was cut off as a result of rocket attacks," Ukraine's state nuclear power company Energoatom said in a statement Thursday. This is the sixth time this has happened since Russian forces occupied the plant early on in the invasion of Ukraine. Russia unleashed a wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine overnight, with the capital Kyiv among the cities hit.

☆ Zelenskyy vows to find Russian killers after horrific video appears to show them shoot a POW for shouting 'Glory to Ukraine'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A horrific video shows a Ukrainian soldier being shot dead after shouting: "Glory to Ukraine." Zelenskyy drew attention to the video in his nightly address, vowing to find his killers. His comments were in response to a video that has been circulating on various Telegram channels, which appears to show the brutal execution of an unarmed Ukrainian soldier. The phrase "Glory to Ukraine" and the response "Glory to the Heroes" has been used as a rallying cry since the start of Russia's attack on Ukraine last year. "Horrific video of an unarmed Ukrainian POW executed by Russian forces merely for saying 'Glory to Ukraine'.

☆ Scientists found the stray dogs of Chernobyl are 'genetically distinct' 40 years after the massive radiation leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists compared dogs living within the Chernobyl power plant and those living farther away. Researchers found the Chernobyl dogs to be "genetically distinct." When the power plant in Ukraine exploded in 1986, residents who evacuated the area had to leave their pets behind. While authorities at the time culled many animals to stop contamination from spreading, clean-up workers cared for some dogs, according to the New Scientist. The Chernobyl Dog Research Initiative — which provides veterinary care — estimates that more than 800 feral dogs are living in the area.

Zelenskyy has called the Russian attacks on infrastructure “energy terrorism” and vowed the assault won’t change the course of the war. People sit in a dark cafe during a blackout after Russian strikes Dec. 29 in Lviv, Ukraine. Company officials believe Russian engineers who know the vulnerable points in Ukraine’s electricity system most likely advised the Russian military on its targeting. Water and cellphonesThe attack on the country’s electricity grid has had a knock-on effect for other infrastructure, including water supplies and mobile phone service. Although the assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure hasn’t damaged Ukraine’s position on the battlefield or broken the country’s will to fight, it has inflicted “huge damage” on the economy, he said.

☆ Ukraine’s Electric-Repair Crews Become Unlikely Wartime Heroes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Alistair Macdonald | Photographs Joseph Sywenkyj For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The workers clambering over the charred remains of an electricity transformer at a Ukrainian power station are fighting on one of the war’s most important fronts: protecting Ukraine’s power grid. Russia has targeted Ukraine’s electricity supply with a blitz of drones and missiles, leaving businesses struggling and millions of people with sporadic heat and light in subzero temperatures.

☆ Ukraine's cities begin 2023 under attack from more Russian missiles and drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

We already know the sound of rockets, we know the moment they fly, we know the sound of drones. Ukrainian forces reclaimed the city in November after Russia's forces withdrew across the Dnieper River, which bisects the Kherson region. The Ukrainian forces have had the momentum for several months but we also know that Russia has mobilized many more forces. "We already know the sound of rockets, we know the moment they fly, we know the sound of drones. Couples participate in a traditional dance gathering in an underground mall on New Year's Day, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine.

☆ Orwell's novel of repression '1984' tops Russian bestseller lists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Kevin Liffey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984", set in an imagined future where totalitarian rulers deprive their citizens of all agency in order to maintain support for senseless wars, has topped electronic bestseller lists in Russia. The novel is the most popular fiction download of 2022 on the platform of the Russian online bookseller LitRes, and the second most popular download in any category, the state news agency Tass reported on Tuesday. And last month the Kremlin's spokesman said there had been no attacks on civilian targets, despite wave after wave of bombardment of Ukrainian power facilities that have left millions without heat or light in the depths of winter. However, the Russian translator of a brand new edition of "1984" sees the parallels to Orwell's novel elsewhere. Reporting by Kevin Liffey; editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nestle to launch new Ukraine facility in rare war-time investment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) will invest 40 million Swiss francs ($42.88 million) to launch a new production facility in western Ukraine, the company said on Monday. Nestle is one of very few international companies to announce new investments in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. Russia's invasion has wrecked Ukraine's economy, which is projected to shrink by 35% this year, according to International Monetary Fund estimates. In recent weeks power blackouts have spread throughout the country as Russia intensified attacks on Ukrainian power facilities. Nestle, which already has about 5,800 staff in Ukraine, is planning to add 1,500 new jobs at the new production facility in Smolyhiv in the Volyn region.

☆ Ukraine keeps patching up its power grid. But Russia’s barrage could force more Ukrainians to flee as winter bites
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Tim Lister Olga Voitovych Victoria Butenko | Tim Lister | Olga Voitovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The result is a grinding battle of attrition: Barrages of Russian missiles fly across Ukraine, and Ukrainian power engineers work for days in freezing temperatures to restore power. “By the nature of the attacks we see that Russian missiles are directed by Russian power engineers,” says Tymoshenko. 15 gigawatts of Ukraine’s power capacity have been taken out, compared to the pre-war capacity of 56 gigawatts (GW) of power, according to Ukrenergo. Tymoshenko told CNN that Ukraine’s power system has been part of the continental network since March after synchronization of the systems. “And this, of course, will encourage us to further technological development of the power system after victory,” he says.

☆ Red Cross visits POWs held by Russia and Ukraine, commends progress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the Geneva-based body has reached hundreds of prisoners on both sides. "My expectation is that these visits lead to more regular access to all prisoners of war," the statement cited ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric as saying. The U.N. human rights office said last month that its monitors had not been allowed access to Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia. The ICRC said it carried out a two-day visit to Ukrainian POWs last week, with another happening this week. It also visited Russian POWs last week and more such visits are planned by month-end.

Russia acknowledges attacking Ukrainian infrastructure but denies deliberately seeking to harm civilians. NATO foreign ministers pledged to step up political and practical support to Ukraine and maintain it for as long as necessary. If we have air defence systems, we can protect from the next Russian missile strikes," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. [1/4] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg poses with foreign ministers of NATO countries during the family photo at their meeting in Bucharest, Romania November 29, 2022. Foreign ministers also reaffirmed a 2008 NATO summit decision that Ukraine would eventually become a member of the alliance.

☆ Air raid sirens blare in Ukraine as NATO meets to promise aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"NATO will continue to stand for Ukraine as long as it takes. [1/7] A view shows the city without electricity after critical civil infrastructure was hit by Russian missile attacks, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 23, 2022. That will make it harder for Ukrainian forces to find weakly defended stretches to attempt new breakthroughs. Ukraine's armed forces General Staff said late on Monday that Russian forces were heavily shelling towns on the west bank of the Dnipro River, including Kherson. Ukrainian forces had damaged a rail bridge north of the Russian-occupied southern city of Melitopol that has been key to supplying Russian forces dug in there, it added.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest news: NATO pledges more military, energy aid for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S.-Russian relations have plunged to their most confrontational point in 60 years since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. [1/4] A view shows the city without electricity after critical civil infrastructure was hit by Russian missile attacks, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Vladyslav Sodel/ 1 2 3 4POWER SUPPLY* The United States announced $53 million to support the purchase of power grid equipment for Ukraine. * Ukraine is still struggling to restore full power nearly a week after a wave of Russian missile strikes that damaged energy facilities across the country. Heavy rain and falling temperatures are making conditions even grimmer along the front lines as the war grinds into winter.

☆ UN rights boss says Russian strikes plunge millions into hardship
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief said on Thursday that Russian strikes on critical infrastructure in Ukraine since October had killed at least 77 civilians and were plunging millions of people into extreme hardship. Much of the country remained without heat or power after the most devastating Russian air strikes on its energy grid so far. Since early October, Russia has launched missiles roughly once a week in a bid to destroy the Ukrainian power grid. "Millions are being plunged into extreme hardship and appalling conditions of life by these strikes," said Volker Turk in a statement. The U.N.'s monitoring team has said that both Russia and Ukraine have tortured prisoners of war.

☆ UN report details horrifying Ukrainian accounts of abuse and torture in Russian prisons
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — A report commissioned by the United Nations found that Russian forces have committed widespread abuse against prisoners captured during the invasion of Ukraine. In some cases, the investigators found that Ukrainian forces tortured Russian troops, though those incidents were less frequent. In preparing the report, investigators conducted 159 interviews over the course of eight months. Some former Ukrainian POWs recounted sporadic incidents where Russian soldiers who had captured, transported or guarded Ukrainian POWs beat them in apparent retribution for military setbacks or in the immediate aftermath of battle. The women prisoners also said they were forced to undress and walk naked down hallways.

☆ 'There may be no light for a very long time': Ukrainians face a massive test of survival this winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Daily life has become a test of survival for many, with basic necessities such as water, food and medical provisions becoming scarce. Kherson residents collect water at a water point in the city that has had no electricity or water since the Russian retreat on November 16, 2022 in Kherson, Ukraine. Firefighters work to put out a fire at energy infrastructure facilities, damaged by Russian missile strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv region, Ukraine November 15, 2022. EvacuationsUkrainian officials in parts of the country most badly affected by power shortages are warning residents of a harsh winter ahead. Residents talk with train station staff while waiting to be evacuated from Kherson on Nov. 21, 2022 in Kherson, Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine grid operator: damage from Russian attacks 'colossal'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine's national power grid operator said on Tuesday the damage dealt to Ukrainian power generating facilities by Russian missile attacks was "colossal" but dismissed the need to evacuate civilians. Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, chief executive officer of Ukrenergo, told a briefing that Ukrainians could face long power outages but that the grid operator wanted to help provide the conditions for people to remain in the country through winter. Practically no thermal or hydroelectric stations had been left unscathed by the Russian attacks, he said. "The scale of destruction is colossal," Kudrytskyi said. He said a short cold snap was expected from Wednesday but that temperatures would rise again after that, providing an opportunity to stabilise the power generating system.

☆ Reactors at Ukrainian nuclear power plants shut down after Russian strikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Several reactors at two Ukrainian power plants automatically shut down as a result of Russian missile strikes on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, adding that millions of people were left without electricity. Russia pounded cities and energy facilities across Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least one person and causing widespread power outages in what Kyiv said was the heaviest wave of missile strikes in nearly nine months of war. "As a result of the strikes, automation today disabled several nuclear units at two stations - these are calculated consequences, and the enemy knew exactly what he was doing," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "In many cities and regions of our country, there are again emergency power outages. read moreReporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly and Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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