The Armed Forces managed to liberate a number of settlements in the Kharkiv region, one of which was Balakliia. Russian military committed hundreds of crimes against the civilian population in the city of Balakliia, which are gradually being discovered by the National Police of Ukraine. In particular, Russian military set up a torture chamber, where they abused former Anti-terrorist Operation Zone (ATO) soldiers and their relatives in the basement of the local police department.
Source: Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Investigative Department of the National Security Service in the Kharkiv region
According to him, Russians made a prison for residents in the basement of the police department and the building opposite. During the occupation, Russians always kept at least 40 people captive, feeding them with cereal twice a day and torturing them.
“They were looking for those who served or had relatives in the ATO through local collaborators. They were also looking for people who helped the Ukrainian army destroy Russian military. And in the case when they released a lot of people and there were no new ones, they grabbed people right on the street near the police station. One man was in “prison” for 46 days — because Russians found a photo of his brother in a Ukrainian military uniform.”
Witnesses who had the opportunity to visit Balakliia torture chambers said that they were tortured in different ways. According to the victims, the “easiest” way of abuse was when Russians shocked them with electricity.
In addition, the investigators have information about the murdered residents of the city. It is known about the dead, they were shot at the checkpoint by the Russians on the last day of the occupation. Now the details of the tragedy are being clarified.
See also: Russia has already committed over 40,000 war crimes in Ukraine
