Steelworks prisoners from Mariupol ‘are being tortured with pliers, electrocuted and strangled’ after being captured by Russian forces
- The French and German presidents urged Putin to return 2,500 prisoners of war
- Azov Battalion soldiers defended Mariupol steelworks for weeks despite barrage
- Now they’re reportedly being tortured with pliers and electric shocks by captors
- It came as Ukrainian forces faced artillery in east and Odesa blockade drags on
European leaders have urged Vladimir Putin to release Azov prisoners amid reports that they have been tortured with ‘special cruelty’.
French president Emmanuel Macron and his German counterpart Olaf Scholz demanded the safe return of the 2,500 Azov fighters over the weekend.
They also called for an end to the blockade of Odesa, as well as direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday as details of the 80-minute call emerged.
Ukrainian Azov Battalion forces do their best to stay warm inside the steelworks (image May 7)
It comes as Ukrainian forces endured heavy artillery barrages yesterday while holding off Russian efforts to capture the small city of Severodonetsk in the east. The shelling was so intense that it was not possible to assess casualties and damage, Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai said.
Dozens of buildings have been destroyed in the past few days. ‘The situation has extremely escalated,’ Mr Gaidai said.
The calls by European leaders come as Ukrainian soldiers returned in prisoner swaps with Russia said the brave defenders of Mariupol had been singled out as having endured especially brutal treatment.
A report compiled from interviews with the prisoners said the Azov fighters had been beaten, tortured with pliers, electrocuted and strangled. Other Ukrainian soldiers have allegedly been injected with unknown drugs, humiliated and forced to record confessions in which they sing Russia’s national anthem and plead forgiveness.
Footage has also emerged of some of the defenders of the steelworks being asked why they ‘indoctrinated’ the local population.
Yesterday Mr Putin was accused by experts of inflicting ‘unspeakable suffering’ on Ukrainians in the east and ‘demanding horrible sacrifices’ of his own people. He has ordered his forces to focus their firepower on seizing Severodonetsk where Ukraine is suffering ‘serious losses’. But the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank said the capture of the city ‘does not merit the cost’ as it is strategically insignificant.
It said Moscow is ‘recklessly spending its fighting power’ trying to take the city. Despite the onslaught, it is yet to fall and Ukraine’s defence is costing Moscow. In a further boost for Kyiv, the ISW also suggested that when the battle for Severodonetsk ends – no matter who wins – Russia’s offensive will have likely peaked.
It came as Mr Zelensky said he expects ‘good news’ about the provision of long-range missile systems from the West this week, aiding his fight against Russia.