More than 100 Ukrainians went missing in Kherson during Russian occupation, US study shows

More than 100 Ukrainians were detained and then disappeared during the Russian occupation of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in what appears to be a planned campaign, according to a Yale University study published on Friday (19 November). The Conflict Observatory, a research group at Yale University’s Department of Public Health, whose work is supported by the US State Department, documented 226 extrajudicial detentions and enforced disappearances in Kherson.

Half of those imprisonedthey don’t seem to have been releasedAccording to the report, which emphasizes that their fate is unclear after the withdrawal of Russian forces from Kherson on November 11. A quarter of the 226 people concerned were allegedly tortured and four died in custody or shortly thereafter. Most of these acts were committed by the Russian military and Russian security services (FSS).

Officials, police and journalists have gone missing

Those arrested and missing are mostly men of military age, including civil servants, civil society figures, teachers, police and journalists. “These findings lend credence to a number of alarming allegations about the treatment of detainees, including deaths in custody, the widespread use of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, robbery of detainees and sexual and gender relations.says the study. The researchers also explain that the profile of the prisoners means a campaign.deliberate“.

According to some sources consulted for this study, the Russians arrived with lists of names and license plates, targeting people who might resist their occupation. Crimean Tatars were particularly targeted, many of whom were accused by the Russians of belonging to Tatar gangs.terrorists“. “This study shows that Russian forces must be held accountable for the crimes they are accused of in Kherson“.