The released defender of Azovstal, sergeant of the 36th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mikhailo Dianov gave an interview to the Front 18 channel, in which he said that he and other Ukrainian soldiers in Russian captivity were brutally tortured. The men were starved, beaten with truncheons, given electric shocks, and had needles stuck under their nails.
In September, Kiev and Moscow held a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war: Ukraine was finally able to return 215 fighters to their homeland. Among them was Marine Dianov, one of the most famous defenders of Azovstal. The fighters were exchanged for Viktor Medvedchuk, an oligarch and godfather of the Russian president.
Dianov was captured in mid-May. By this time, an external fixation device was installed on his arm – the man was injured back in March, the device helped the bones grow together. During one of the attacks by the Russian military, the marine fell to the ground, the apparatus bent, due to which the bones fused in a semicircle. Then the apparatus finally broke down, and the wound began to rot. Dianov was not provided with any normal medical care in Russian captivity. The device was filmed in Donetsk.
“The doctor came. He says: “Well, Misha, are we renting a device for you?” I look, and he lays out car wrenches. The keys did not fit, and he began to twist with rusty pliers. I say: “Maybe at least give some painkillers? In fact, this is done under anesthesia. ” He: "Well, let's give you Ketorolac injection."
According to Dianov, the prisoners (he was in the colony in Yelenovka) were starved, sometimes fed with compound feed. They were given 30 seconds to eat. During this time, it was necessary to be able to eat hard bread with boiling water, which is simply impossible physically.
“A person can be cut, beaten, but you can endure any pain. Hunger is everything. It's just awful. When you close your eyes, all you see is food. You don't see the family, you don't care if Ukraine is free or not, you don't care about anything. If you want to morally and physically destroy a person, just don’t feed him.”
The soldiers were beaten with batons for any far-fetched pretext. "Wrong" lowered his head, turned "in the wrong direction" – they beat him.
“I was most often beaten when they took me to the investigative committee. Automatic to the head. He turned his head in the wrong direction, lowered it incorrectly, did not raise his hand. I said that I can't raise my hand. First two blows, and then these: “Ah, you can’t lift it!” And a third time."
During this exchange, Russia (in addition to Medvedchuk) also returned 55 captured Russians to their homeland. According to The Washington Post, the FSB discouraged Vladimir Putin from taking this step because of the predictable backlash from his supporters. According to an anonymous Ukrainian official, the FSB “was categorically opposed because they knew what this deal would look like to the public.”