Harrowing before and after pictures show how Ukrainian prisoners of war have been reduced to skin and bone and left almost unrecognisable after months in Russian captivity.
The images give a chilling insight into the horrors faced by the soldiers and guards during their time in detention centres, with Kyiv saying they are a reminder of the ‘darkest pages in human history’.
The emaciated state of the men suggests they have had limited nourishment – despite the Geneva Convention stating that POWs should be provided with sufficient rations and kept in ‘good health’.
As well as enduring a lack of food, many show clear signs of physical abuse, including cigarette burns and bruises across their bodies.
The stark evidence of the mistreatment comes as Ukraine is investigating the summary executions of POWs – including the alleged beheading of a soldier by Vladimir Putin‘s forces in the Donetsk region this week.
One of the soldiers is barely recognisable in a side-by-side photo showing him before and after his captivity
The veins are visible in the arms of one man while his skin clings to his bones on his torso
Many of the former POWs have gone grey and look physically exhausted compared to before their captivity
Bruises are visible on the arm of one former captive as a medic assesses him
One of the released POWs smiles and raises his arms triumphantly – showing that he has lost almost all his body fat
Bones stick out on the shoulders of a Ukrainian soldier who has escaped from captivity
A Ukrainian soldier who was previously held captive by Russian forces shows a picture of his injuries – cigarette burns in his leg
Ukrainian soldiers who made it out of the detention centres with their lives have now posed with pictures of themselves before their horrific ordeal.
The striking images lay bare the stark physical changes the men have undergone as a result of their treatment at the hands of Putin’s guards.
Their eyes have become sunken and hollow, cheek bones sharper and skin more wrinkled and pale.
All appear to have lost hair and greyed and look aged far beyond their years.
They are shadows of their former selves, with their physical states contrasting sharply with the smiling images from before they were taken to Putin’s detention centres.
Other images show doctors assessing the released prisoners at rehabilitation centres as they embark on their long and difficult road to recovery.
As well as soldiers, the impact on Chernobyl guard Roman Vasiliovich Gorilyk has also been documented in shocking pictures.
Vasiliovich was one of 74 prisoners exchanged in a prisoner swap on May 31.
He has since been pictured, frail, with bones protruding after returning from dire conditions – which he endured since being kidnapped in March 2022.
The Ukrainian soldiers appear to be shadows of their former selves after time in Russian captivity
The emaciated body of one soldier who was taken captive by Putin’s forces
A Ukrainian soldier who is now undergoing rehabilitation shows a picture of himself prior to his captivity
The former prisoner, a senior controller at Chernobyl power plant, was not involved in any fighting before his detention – but was ‘taken hostage’ by the Russians and dragged back through Belarus, according to army hotline ‘I Want to Live’.
Russia does not acknowledge holding civilians captive – but significant evidence provided to human rights investigators and activist groups undermines their position.
During their entire time in captivity, the project claimed, neither Roman nor the other 74 prisoners were visited by observers from the International Committee of the Red Cross in violation of international law.
‘The condition of Roman and other Ukrainian prisoners of war evokes horror and associations with the darkest pages of human history – Nazi concentration death camps,’ according to the government body which first shared the images.
Mykhailo Podolyak, the Ukrainian presidential adviser, said: ‘The torture by starvation is monstrous, the beatings and violence are sophisticated.
Staff at the rehabilitation assess one soldier
Bruises on the arm of a Ukrainian soldier who was previously held captive
A former prisoner of war appears weathered after enduring time in Russian detention
Protruding bones and popping veins are visible on the body of an emaciated Ukrainian soldier
‘There are no Geneva Conventions anymore… Russia again thinks it can avoid being held accountable for massive war crimes.’
It comes after Ukraine made further war crimes accusations against Russia this week, sharing a picture purporting to show a soldier’s severed head.
The Ukrainian military claimed that it received information that Russian soldiers in the frontline area had been ordered not to take prisoners and instead behead them.
General Prosecutor Andriy Kostin said it was ‘new horrifying evidence’ of Russian war crimes, labelling it ‘dreadful barbarism that has no place in the 21st century.’