Shocking images show how a Ukrainian soldier was reduced to skin and bones after a hellish stint in one of Vladimir Putin’s brutal gulags.
Ivan Petrovsky, 30, lost six stone during his horrific 1,000 days in captivity as a prisoner of war in Russia.
He was held by Putin’s invading forces in May 2022 when he was defending Mariupol.
Mr Petrovsky was recently swapped in an exchange of POWs.
He posted before and after pictures showing how he became emaciated after suffering for almost three years in Russian hellhole camps.
‘I’m home. The difference is 1,037 days of captivity and minus 40 kg,’ he wrote.
A video showed him in captivity in Russia, where he was held in the Donbas and later Volgograd region.
His wife Kristina Petrovska and two daughters were waiting for him when he returned.
Ukraine has accused Russia of keeping POWs in inhumane conditions and inflicting torture and medical neglect on captives.
Hundreds of deaths are feared from poor treatment of those detained in battle.
In some camps, the starvation food rations comprise three spoons of porridge, half a cup of tea, and two thin slices of bread per day—and limited access to water.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, said ‘This category—severely wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war—requires immediate repatriation.
‘We know that Russian forces deny medical assistance to Ukrainian POWs.
‘Tragically, many of our soldiers die as a direct result of this neglect.’
It comes after Ukraine launched an investigation into shocking images which appear to show a Ukrainian prisoner who was allegedly beheaded by Russian troops.
The grotesque photograph seemingly shows the severed head of an unnamed man inside a wooden box.
In another medieval-style image a person wearing a stripy navy blue top, which is similar to Russia’s navy uniform, can be seen holding up in the head for the camera.
Whilst the photographs remain unconfirmed, Artur Dobroserdov – Ukrainian Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstance – made clear he believed the images were genuine which, if true, would amount to a serious war crime.
The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office was informed, and police are conducting an investigation, he said.
Mr Dobroserdov said: ‘Photographic materials from hostile information resources are being distributed online, showing an image of a severed head of a Ukrainian serviceman.
‘We would like to inform you that thanks to the measures taken by the [secretariat’s] office, it was possible to establish the identity of the deceased.’
The name was not made public and the circumstances of the alleged beheading are not known.