Ukrainian troops ‘kept in cages’ – MP
Soldiers also suffered cracked skulls after beatings by officers who were attempting to extort money, Yulia Yatsik has said
Ukrainian soldiers have suffered serious physical abuse at the hands of their officers, including being kept in cages, Kiev MP Yulia Yatsik said on Monday. She was commenting on a media exposé published earlier in the day.
Some victims sustained cracked skulls and ruptured internal organs as a result of beatings, the lawmaker stated in an interview with online Ukrainian outlet Novini.Live. Others have been kept in cages for failing to submit to officers, she added. Military investigators have had evidence of the crimes for months, Yatsik stressed.
The MP added details to a report by the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper, which described alleged harassment and extortion of troops by officers of the 211th pontoon bridge brigade, a military engineering unit.
The brigade is plagued by nepotism, which fosters the routine victimization of soldiers, the report claimed. The 211th was formed in 2022 and most of its original officers came from the same unit, according to the exposé. They have filled vacancies with family members and personal acquaintances through manipulation of appointments, the newspaper alleged.
READ MORE: Corruption weakening Ukrainian military – general
“We have wives and husbands, parents and sons, godparents, extended family, lovers, friends, schoolmates, neighbors, and every other relation one could draw on, all serving together,” said an anonymous source interviewed by the outlet.
Pravda has verified almost ten separate families involved with the unit. Colonel lieutenant Valery Pastukh heads the 211th’s staff, while his son, senior lieutenant Vladislav Pastuk, served as a platoon leader. Brigade commander Oleg Poberyuzhnik is Pastukh Jr.’s godfather, the report added.
The newspaper said it had obtained extensive evidence of abuses by Pastukh Jr., including images of harassment and soldiers’ testimonies to military investigators. It shared a photo showing the lieutenant posing next to a ravine, with a man tied to a cross visible below. The person was allegedly being punished for drinking on the job.
An investigation published by Ukrainska Pravda on Dec. 16 has uncovered widespread corruption and abuse within the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade, where commanders with family ties exploited their positions to extort money and mistreat soldiers.https://t.co/Irvl6IgcCg
— The New Voice of Ukraine (@NewVoiceUkraine) December 17, 2024
The report claimed that officers in the 211th would routinely extort money, either as payment for covering up soldiers’ disciplinary violations or in the form of racketeering. The support unit does not see combat, so superiors would threaten troops with transfer to frontline brigades unless they paid up, the report said.
After the article was published, the Ukrainian military leadership pledged to ensure that any officers guilty of crimes are held accountable.
READ MORE: Russia isn’t fighting the Ukrainian people – Putin
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the “Kiev regime” of perpetrating crimes against Ukrainians, including through forced conscription of troops required to sustain the fight against Russia. The Ukrainian government will likely soon drop the minimum draft age to 18 and send young men “to the slaughter,” he warned.
https://www.rt.com/russia/609468-ukrainian-brigade-corruption-expose/