After captivity, he lived for eight months: the UN described the torture of a soldier from Mykolaiv region

The testimony of Oleksandr Savov from Mykolaiv region about torture in Russian captivity has been included in a UN report. The Special Rapporteur cites the soldier’s diary, which was given to her. After his release, he lived for eight months and died following the abuse he endured and a deterioration in his health.

Oleksandr Savov spent almost three years in Russian captivity. The serviceman returned home on March 19, 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange. His death was reported in November. He was 46 years old.

The soldier was beaten, tortured with electric shocks, humiliated, and denied medical care. His notes also reveal other forms of cruel treatment of prisoners:

“His diary, provided to the Special Rapporteur, documents torture, including electric shocks, beatings, dogs being set on detainees, forced nudity, sexual humiliation, denial of medical care, and the concealment of abuse during official external inspections,” the UN report states.

The Special Rapporteur noted that these accounts were corroborated by interviews with other Ukrainian detainees. In particular, they described medical personnel participating in torture.

The document also describes the widespread torture of Ukrainians held in custody in Russia, including rape and sexual violence. Medical personnel are identified not only among those involved in torture: the report also refers to their acquiescence in such acts or failure to report them.

The report illustrates the scale of deaths in captivity using figures from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. In August 2026, the Headquarters reported that 438 Ukrainians had died in Russian captivity since the start of the full-scale war.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the remains of 375 servicemen and civilians who died in Russian captivity have been returned to Ukraine. Autopsies showed that torture and denial of medical care were among the causes of death. In particular, between May 2025 and May 2026, the remains of 169 Ukrainian servicemen and civilian detainees were repatriated.

Another part of the report concerns politically motivated prosecutions. From September 2025 to August 2026, courts in Russia and in temporarily occupied territories convicted at least 585 Ukrainians. They included:

• 226 civilians;
• 359 servicemen.

Most of these cases involved terrorism charges. As the document notes, the Russian authorities continue to try Ukrainian prisoners of war as civilians: they refuse to recognize their status and prosecute them for acts permitted for combatants during armed conflict.

Terrorism charges are often based solely on membership in Ukrainian military units that Russia has designated as “terrorist organizations” since 2022. The report cites rulings against captured Azov fighters in May 2026:

• Dmytro Selizar was sentenced to 18 years in prison;
• Mykola Kuzmenko’s prison sentence was increased from 25 to 27 years.

Previously, we reported:

• 375 Ukrainians did not survive Russian captivity, says Dmytro Lubinets
• More than 700 Azov fighters in captivity for a fifth year: Russia has convicted 250 and systematically excludes them from exchange lists
• Eight months after returning from captivity: Mykolaiv Brigade Marine Oleksandr Savov dies
• UN reports confirm that Russia continues to torture and execute Ukrainian prisoners of war
• A fighter who survived Russian captivity: “They cut off heads and skinned people”