Kharkiv resident and volunteer Ihor Shyshko, who lost 50 kilograms of weight during 801 days of detention in Russian prisons, told about interrogations with torture, psychological and physical violence that lasted until his last day in captivity.
The former prisoner, acting director of the regional municipal enterprise Veteran’s Space. Side by Side” said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
According to Shyshko, he was held for 51 days in a camp in Shebekino, Belgorod region, and then transferred to Staryi Oskol, Bryansk region. Then the Kharkiv resident was held in Novozybkiv, Tula, and Pakino in the Vladimir region.
“On May 13 [2022], we were sent to Staryi Oskol, to SIZO #2. That’s where the nightmare really began – as soon as they pulled me out of the car. They broke my fingers and toes already during the reception. When they lead you down the corridor, there are these tactical gloves with rubber and wooden sticks, batons, and all kinds of metal objects attached to their boots, and they beat you with all these tools. Someone strong is holding you from behind, with your arms twisted, and you can’t even fall, you can’t even breathe, and they beat you, beat you and beat you. After that, they throw you into a cell. When I was able to get up, I looked at the guys – I think I had seen many of them before, there were 22 of us in the tent in Shebekino, and some of them were in the cell – but I didn’t recognize anyone. Because everyone was so beaten that it was hard to guess their faces. The wounds were bleeding like on a battlefield…” Shyshko said.
He said that the Russians beat him with electricity, a tapik phone, stun guns, wires from extension cords, and “interrogations continued until the last day of captivity.” Torture was used in all the institutions where the Kharkiv resident was held, but had some peculiarities.
“The morning started at 6 a.m. with the command “Wake up!”. We had to sing the Russian anthem or just stand, depending on the institution. After breakfast, the morning ‘check’ procedure began: they took us out into the corridor and made us sit in a ‘quarter’ position, which meant squatting, for 30-40 minutes, after which we had to jump out into the corridor. We had to stand there with our legs apart, and they would hit us on the shins. The pain caused their legs to move apart, and people would sit in the twine, some would tear their ligaments, and it happened in different ways. Pants were torn, and they also beat us for that, because there was nothing to sew up, no thread and needle. In general, the warders were looking for any excuse to mock us even more,” the released prisoner said.
According to him, the same abuse took place before going outside for a walk.
“It was a mockery, because there was no actual walk – it was three, five minutes at most. But we were chased through the corridors, up the stairs to the exercise yard, which we swept, and then you jump back in, and you get beaten, harassed by dogs, barking, biting, and beaten again. There was one spinner who liked to put pressure on the eyes, he tormented everyone like that…”, – Shishko said.
As reported, as of February 5, a total of 4,131 people were returned from captivity.
Ihor Shyshko returned to Ukraine during the exchange on May 31, 2024, with his wife and three children waiting for him at home. A resident of Kharkiv, at the time of the Russian invasion he was an employee of the Kharkiv Regional Council who joined the Kraken unit, was captured by the invaders on March 22, 2022, near the regional center.
Source: Former POW: Fingers and toes were broken immediately in Staryi Oskol
