Ukrainians in liberated areas were ‘tortured with electric shocks by the Russians’

A burned car in Balakliya, northeastern Ukraine, which was retaken from the Russians

(Picture: Ukrainian Presidential Administr)

Evidence of Russiantorture of Ukrainians has emerged in areas liberated by a counter-offensive by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces.

Ukraine says it has recaptured more than 6,000 square kilometres of its territory from Russia this month in the east and south of the country.

But in the newly freed areas citizens have given accounts of torture during months of Russian occupation.

One man who lives in the city of Balakliya in the Kharkiv region told the BBC he was held by Russians for more than 40 days, and was tortured with electric shocks.

The centre of the brutality was the city’s police station, which Russian forces used as their headquarters.

The man, named as Artem, said he was imprisoned there and tortured because the Russians found a picture of his brother, a soldier, in uniform.

Another man from Balakliya said he was held for 25 days because he had the Ukrainian flag. He said he could hear screams of pain and terror coming from other cells, and added that the Russians turned off the ventilation system “so everyone could hear how people scream when they are shocked with electricity… they did this to some of the prisoners every other day… they even did this to the women”.

A destroyed car is seen next to heavily damaged houses in the freed village of Hrakove, Ukraine (AP)

The International Criminal Court is already investigating alleged war crimes committed by Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden has said Ukraine has made “significant progress” as it pushes back the Russians, but it is not possible to tell if the war is at a turning point. “It’s clear the Ukrainians have made significant progress.

But I think it’s going to be a long haul,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

British defence chiefs said on Wednesday Russia is increasingly having to get weapons from North Korea and other heavily sanctioned states as its own stocks run low.

Moscow is also believed to be sourcing military equipment from Iran. Confirmation of this appeared to come from the reported shooting down of an Iranian drone.

In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “Russia has highly likely deployed Iranian uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) in Ukraine for the first time.

On September 13, Ukrainian officials reported their forces had shot down a Shahed-136 UAV near Kupiansk, in the area of Ukraine’s successful ongoing offensive.”

The Shahed-136 has a claimed range of 2,500 kilometres, and similar Iranian drones are believed to have been used in attacks in the Middle East.