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A group of investigators probing war crimes committed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine found that the Kremlin, funded the torture chambers that were found in the Ukrainian-held region of Kherson. Investigators cited the new evidence that came to light on the matter.
The Mobile Justice team, which is backed by the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States on Thursday, said new evidence suggests that the torture chambers in Kherson were backed by the Kremlin. The team has been working with Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors across the country and in Kherson since Ukrainian forces reclaimed the region in southern Ukraine.
“New evidence collected from recently liberated Kherson reveals torture chambers were planned and directly financed by the Russian State,” said the team, led by British attorney Wayne Jordash in a statement.
The team added that financing a network of torture chambers was part of the Kremlin’s plan to “subjugate, re-educate, or kill Ukrainian civic leaders and ordinary dissenters.” The team also said that the facilities were run by Russian security agencies, including the FSB, the local Kherson FSB, and the Russian Prison Service.
In January, a Reuters report said Ukrainian authorities found that around 200 people were allegedly tortured in 10 locations in the area. Survivors told the news outlet about being tortured by Russian forces with the use of electrocution and suffocation.
A separate investigation is also taking place by the International Criminal Court, part of both domestic and international efforts to bring those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide across Ukraine to justice.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities are still struggling to find those who are still missing in the capital, Kyiv area when Russian forces failed to take over the region. Russia’s failed offensive in an attempt to take Kyiv led to 1,370 civilians dead before Ukrainian forces drove them out of the area.
278 people are still missing more than a year after Moscow sought to capture the capital. 14 mass graves were discovered previously, and officials say the remaining bodies may have been in shelled or bombarded buildings in towns or in pine forests.
