By: Michael Day

Russian forces have been torturing and beating thousands of civilians in Southern Ukraine. These atrocities have caused global outrage and have led to cries for war crime trials.

Since February, Russian forces have pushed into Crimea, a northern section of Ukraine that Moscow sized in 2014. These forces have turned many parts of Ukraine into a dark abyss, showered in fear and wild lawlessness. A senior Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch stated that Russian authorities should end such abuses immediately and understand that they will be held accountable.

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated that the invasion of Ukraine was a strategic mission to rid the country of Nazis. When presented to the Russian audience, it is a noble reason to invade the country. Still, there has been no immediate response to the Human Rights Watch report. Moscow denied the idea that Russian Troops committed the acts, as well as saying that their missiles only target military bases rather than civilian areas.

The Human Rights Watch said out of the 71 people they interviewed in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, over 42 included cases of Russian forces holding people captive. Some mysteriously “disappeared” after being detained. “People interviewed described being tortured, or witnessing torture, through prolonged beatings and in some cases electric shocks,” the report said, adding that many of the injuries included burns, cuts, concussions, broken teeth, broken bones, including ribs, and broken blood vessels.

The torture has caused many countries to supply Ukraine with the equipment it needs to help the country reclaim its lost territory and defend its people.