Electric shocks, beatings and humiliation — a soldier from the Mykolaiv region recounted to the UN what he endured whilst in captivity
Oleksandr Savov and his daughter Anastasia Savova. Photo: Anastasia SavovaWhilst in Russian captivity, Oleksandr Savov, a soldier from the Mykolaiv region, was beaten, tortured with electric shocks, humiliated and denied medical care. He wrote about his ordeal in a diary, which was passed on to the UN Special Rapporteur. Eight months after his release, the soldier died.
This is stated in the UN report.
What is known about Oleksandr Savov
The UN report mentions Oleksandr Savov, a prisoner of war from the Mykolaiv region. He spent almost three years in Russian captivity before being released in March 2025. Eight months after his release, he died — following the torture he endured whilst in captivity and a deterioration in his health.
In the document, the UN Special Rapporteur refers to Oleksandr Savov’s diary, which was handed over to her. It describes instances of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners.
«His diary, which was handed over to the Special Rapporteur, documents torture, including electric shocks, beatings, setting dogs on detainees, forced nudity, sexual humiliation, the denial of medical care and the concealment of acts of ill-treatment prior to official external inspections,» the UN report states.
The Special Rapporteur noted that interviews with other Ukrainian detainees corroborated this testimony, in particular the information regarding the involvement of medical staff in acts of torture.
Screenshot: UN reportHow many Ukrainians have died in Russian captivity
In August 2026, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that 438 Ukrainians had died in Russian captivity since the start of the full-scale war. These figures are cited in the UN report.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the bodies of 375 military personnel and civilians who died in Russian captivity have also been returned to Ukraine. Autopsies revealed that the causes of death included torture and a failure to provide medical care. In particular, between May 2025 and May 2026, the remains of 169 Ukrainian military personnel and civilian detainees were repatriated.
How many Ukrainians have been convicted in Russia
According to the report, between September 2025 and August 2026, courts in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories convicted at least 585 Ukrainians in politically motivated cases. These included 226 civilians and 359 military personnel. The majority of the cases involved charges under terrorism-related articles.
The document notes that Russia continues to try Ukrainian prisoners of war as civilians. The Russian authorities do not recognise them as prisoners of war and prosecute them for actions that are lawful for combatants during an armed conflict.
In particular, Ukrainian military personnel are often charged under terrorism-related articles because of their membership of Ukrainian military units, which Russia has designated as «terrorist organisations» since 2022.
In May 2026, Dmytro Selizar, a captured soldier from the «Azov» unit, was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment. At the same time, the prison sentence of another captured Azov fighter, Mykola Kuzmenko, was increased from 25 to 27 years.
The report also highlights the prevalence of torture, in particular rape and sexual violence, against Ukrainians held in custody in Russia. It also points to the involvement of medical staff in acts of torture, their condoning of such acts or their failure to report them.
It should be recalled that on 19 March 2025, Oleksandr Savov returned home as part of a prisoner exchange, and in November it emerged that he had died. He was only 46 years old.