Ukrainian Prisoners’ Return Shocks with ‘Horrifying’ Condition, Drawing Comparisons to Nazi Camps

Ukrainian authorities expressed outrage at the emaciated condition of a man who returned home after two years of captivity in Russia, stating, “The appearance of the returned Ukrainian war prisoners reminds us of the darkest page in human history – the Nazi concentration camps.”

According to CNN on the 5th, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War expressed this sentiment after releasing photos of the returned prisoners who had been detained in Russia. Ukraine, with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), agreed to exchange war prisoners with Russia and took back 75 prisoners on the 31st of last month.

The released photos include Roman Gorilyk, 40, one of the returned prisoners.

Gorilyk was working as a checkpoint guard at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine when he was captured by the Russian army in March 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion.

After enduring more than two years as a prisoner in Russia, he appears emaciated with protruding ribs and sunken areas around his collarbone and shoulder blades. His pale skin is stretched over his stomach, with only skin and bone remaining.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces explained to CNN that most of the released prisoners have lost weight and are suffering from chronic diseases due to untreated injuries.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, expressed his criticism via X (formerly Twitter) that the prisoners returned in a horrific state. He said, “Torture by starvation is terrible, and beatings and violence are cunning.”

He further emphasized that if Russia disregards the international human rights agreement, it would effectively mean the end of the Geneva Convention. He argued that Russia appears to believe it can avoid responsibility for war crimes once again.

The Geneva Convention, a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law, is an international agreement to protect victims of war. It stipulates that prisoners of war, wounded soldiers, and civilians who cannot participate in combat must be treated humanely and with dignity.