Maksym Butkevych, a volunteer soldier captured during the initial months of the Ukraine war, endured severe humiliation and violence at the hands of Russian soldiers. His earlier experiences of being punched and robbed escalated to torture, threats of execution, and sexual violence designed to extract false confessions. Despite international campaigns advocating for his humane treatment and release, he was subjected to degrading treatment, including being tied and verbally provoked by an officer. His accounts contribute crucial evidence to the widespread mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces.
Even though I was kneeling with the barrel of a gun against my head, I told him no.
Butkevych's testimony adds granular detail to a body of evidence including in reporting by the Viktoriia Project of Russia's mistreatment of captured Ukrainians.
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