This is the testimony of our brother-in-arms, a Marine who defended Mariupol and spent several years in captivity. It is a horrific truth that must be heard all over the world.

The speech of Mariupol defender, Marine Ivan Nakonechnyi, delivered within the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos and dedicated to discussing the experience of Russian captivity, was published on January 22 on the page of the 36th Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi.

“I spent 3 years and 5 months in Russian captivity. To say that Russians adhere to the Geneva Conventions? No! They are inhuman, sadists”, — Ivan says.

The Russians abused captured Ukrainians in every possible way, starting with food — everyone has seen how emaciated prisoners of war return.

“We were only allowed to walk while bent over, escorted by dogs, with our eyes covered. Any exit from the cell meant brutal beatings. I want to emphasize that we must speak about the captured defenders of Mariupol who have already been in Russian prisons for the fourth year, and the treatment toward them is extremely brutal”, —  said Ivan Nakonechnyi, a serviceman of the 1st Separate Battalion of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade.

As noted in the statement, we must make every possible effort to secure the release of all Ukrainian prisoners of war and to bring to justice the Russians who commit crimes against humanity every day.