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“I Couldn’t Imagine That Such Things Were Possible”: Ukrainian Doctor Tortured by Russia Speaks Out
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
A 64-year-old civilian doctor from Donetsk, Ihor Kirianenko, who spent seven years in Russian captivity over accusations of cooperating with Ukrainian intelligence, has for the first time spoken publicly about the torture he endured.
He shared his story in an interview with hromadske on October 6.
“The torture was regular. I never imagined it could be so ‘sophisticated.’ I was already 57 years old, but that didn’t stop them. I couldn’t even imagine that such things were possible,” said the released hostage.
Kirianenko recalled that even before being formally charged, his captors knocked out all his teeth, pulling out his canines with what he believes were pliers. They also broke his ribs and fingers.
He said that his captors laid him out on a table as if crucifying him and began interrogating him again. Kirianenko recalled that he refused to say anything, after which they removed his shoes and socks, attached wires to his legs and toes, and started torturing him with electric shocks.
“It was painful and terrifying. I started screaming. They even joked, ‘Don’t scream so loudly. There’s a kindergarten above us—you’ll scare the kids.’ Animals,” he recounted.
Kirianenko also described another episode of electrocution: “At first, they attached wires to my legs, and then to my genitals and ears,” he said, adding that he lost consciousness multiple times during the torture.
Earlier, newly released surveillance footage has confirmed the execution of 70-year-old Volodymyr Rubailo by Russian soldiers in Bucha on March 4, 2022.
The video, published by Radio Liberty, shows Rubailo being shot near a supermarket entrance and then fatally executed with a shot to the head. His body was left on the pavement as Russian troops looted the store, loading stolen goods into bags, carts, and armored vehicles.
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