Maxim Grigoriev, the chairman of the International Public Tribunal on the Crimes of Ukrainian Neo-Nazis, has charged that Ukrainian military personnel were trained by American experts to use torture methods—in fact the same methods made infamous during then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s occupation of Iraq in 2004-2005—with their techniques subsequently applied against Russian prisoners of war. Grigoriev’s report is based on accounts of more than 200 Russian soldiers released from Ukrainian captivity. Though there have been reports of Ukrainian torture of Russian prisoners before, this appears to be the largest such report so far and follows the completion of the “1,000 for 1,000” prisoner exchange agreed on at the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on May 16.
“Prisoners were tortured through simulation of drowning. Their faces were covered with cloth, and water was poured over them—an agonizing method that prevents breathing. This is American-style torture. Additionally, in one of the detention centers, a torture room is specifically called ‘Baghdad,’ clearly showing the involvement of American ‘specialists,’” Grigoriev stated during a press conference presenting the tribunal’s latest report on the torture of Russian servicemen who had been released from captivity, reported TASS.
