Russia 'fattens up' Ukrainian prisoners before exchanges to hide detention conditions
Photo: Russia “fattening up” Ukrainian prisoners before exchanges (facebook.com/zelenskyy.official)
Russia has special cells where Ukrainian prisoners who are being prepared for exchanges are “fattened up” in an attempt to create an image of compliance with the rules for holding prisoners of war, according to Andrii Pasternak, head of the Joint Center for Coordination of the Search and Release of Prisoners of War.
“Everyone involved in exchange negotiations knows that the enemy, knowing whom it will hand over, including civilians, brings these prisoners back into normal condition through the so-called ‘fattening-up’ process,” Pasternak said.
According to him, this information comes from released Ukrainian defenders and civilians who have returned from captivity.
“This is also one element of torture — abuse, when some people are deliberately not fed, while others are fattened up so that they look more or less normal,” the SBU representative said.
He added that at every meeting, the negotiating team emphasizes to the enemy that the Ukrainian prisoners Ukraine receives and the Russian prisoners of war Ukraine hands over are significantly different.
“Our people are all very, very thin. Only a few are in more or less normal physical condition. Meanwhile, the Russian prisoners of war we hand over for exchange are all genuinely well-fed,” Pasternak added.
According to him, there is a specific feeding schedule, while international institutions, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations, regularly inspect detention facilities to ensure that Ukraine complies with international humanitarian law.
Russia’s manipulation of prisoner exchanges
It was previously reported that Russia is preparing a new information campaign about prisoners of war, seeking to create a perception among Western audiences that Ukrainians are being treated humanely.
The aggressor state has also launched a media campaign to discredit Ukraine. Russian representatives published lists of prisoners whom Ukraine allegedly “refuses to take back.”
In addition, reports have emerged that Russia is forming combat units from Ukrainian prisoners of war.
