By Sola Adeniji|M10news|World News|1, August 2025
A former Ukrainian prisoner of war has exposed new allegations of torture, abuse, and a mass killing at a Russian-run detention facility, describing his 28 months in captivity as “hell on earth.”
Senior Sergeant Valerii Horishnii, a fighter with Ukraine’s elite Azov Brigade, said he endured relentless beatings, electric shocks, and psychological trauma during his detention following the fall of Mariupol in 2022.
Speaking after his release in a prisoner exchange last September, Horishnii described surviving a system he claims violated every tenet of international humanitarian law.
“I prayed every day. Love and prayer kept me alive,” he told journalists during a UK visit earlier this year.
Now 28, Horishnii has publicly shared his ordeal to campaign for the release of thousands of Ukrainian POWs still held in Russian or Russian-occupied territory.
His testimony includes claims about the 2022 Olenivka prison explosion that killed 53 prisoners and injured over 130 others — an incident Ukraine has described as a massacre.
‘You’re f*** up today’**
The explosion occurred shortly after prisoners were moved into a newly designated Azov-only barracks, Horishnii said, citing fellow inmates. Guards reportedly warned them they were “f***** up today,” and moments later, the barracks were engulfed in flames.
“Some of the guards were scared, but others who appeared to have known it was coming were laughing and drinking coffee while people burned alive,” he said.
The prison’s then-warden, Sergei Yevsyukov, was later killed in a car bomb attack in Donetsk in December 2024.
A June report by the Centre for Human Rights in Armed Conflict concluded that the Russian Federation orchestrated the blast to make it appear the barracks had been hit by a Ukrainian HIMARS strike.
The findings have been submitted to the International Criminal Court.
Systematic Abuse
Horishnii described a system of systemic abuse across multiple Russian-run detention sites, including beatings, prolonged isolation, and sensory deprivation. In one facility — a converted youth centre known as “Isolation” — detainees were subjected to regular torture, he said.
“For two years, we didn’t see the sun,” he said. “Every time the door opened, it meant beatings. It was always fists, batons, electric shocks — always something.”
Despite these conditions, Horishnii survived without permanent disability, though he still carries shrapnel in his body from the rocket-propelled grenade blast that led to his capture.
He was among the last defenders of the Azovstal steelworks during the siege of Mariupol.
Following the May 2022 surrender, he and others were transferred to Russian custody with assurances of Red Cross and UN oversight — promises he says were never fulfilled.
‘Prison became a safe zone’
At the height of his captivity, Horishnii said his only momentary reprieve came when the cell door shut, sealing him in a space where the abuse temporarily stopped.
“As crazy as it sounds, when the door closed, you were relieved because you knew, for a while, you wouldn’t be tortured,” he said.
He also expressed concern about other detainees. “At least 150 people are known to have died in Russian custody — that’s just the official number. The real toll could be much higher.”
Shock and Survival
Freed last September, Horishnii said it took nearly a week for the reality of his freedom to register. “At first I felt nothing. Then I realised I no longer had to sing the Russian anthem every day. I was free,” he said.
He is now considering returning to military service as a reconnaissance scout and instructor, despite being eligible for retirement under Ukrainian law.
“I’ve lost more than 100 friends. I can’t just leave the fight,” he said.
UK Support and Justice Drive
During a visit to London in March, Horishnii joined a delegation urging international pressure for prisoner exchanges and accountability.
“The UK’s support has been vital,” he said. “Your help gives us strength.”
The UK is one of several countries backing the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, intended to prosecute war crimes committed during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the tribunal during a May visit to Lviv, describing accountability as a “key manifesto pledge.”
Thousands of Ukrainian servicemen remain missing or detained in Russian hands. Amnesty International has said the treatment of POWs by Russian forces amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
