2 hours ago 
"I person ne'er heard specified unspeakable screams before," says Liudmyla, recalling her archetypal days successful the Izolyatsia detention centre
ByBy Tania Kharchenko and Samuel Horti
BBC Eye Investigations
This nonfiction contains accounts of torture and intersexual violence
Early 1 October greeting successful 2019, a radical of men jumped retired of a car and grabbed Liudmyla Huseinova arsenic she near her home.
The 64-year-old says they seized her container and threw her into the backmost seat, opening what she describes arsenic a "nightmare" successful Russia's secretive detention strategy successful parts of Ukraine it had occupied since 2014: "For 3 years and 13 days of my life, my psyche and assemblage were crippled."
She says that among the men was Yurii Temerbek, a Ukrainian who had been a section postulation policeman and had joined the Russian-backed separatists.
Temerbek – a husband, begetter and grandfather, present aged 56 - was determination again, 2 weeks later, she says, watching arsenic a antheral with a Russian accent sexually assaulted her successful a notorious detention centre.
A BBC World Service probe has identified Temerbek, and uncovered details astir 2 different men accused of abusing detainees, shedding airy connected a strategy that operates astir wholly retired of scope of Ukrainian and planetary justice.
The men look to present beryllium surviving mean lives with their families successful Russia and occupied Ukraine. Survivors spot revealing their identities arsenic a measurement towards holding them accountable.
Liudmyla says that if the men she accuses of maltreatment aren't recovered and imprisoned, "then, justness for maine volition beryllium their names arsenic criminals, and torturers, volition beryllium known to their children".
Image source, OK.ru
Temerbek, present aged 56, is pictured successful a postulation constabulary azygous successful this representation posted connected societal media successful 2013
The prisons these men helped tally are portion of a detention strategy successful which the UN's quality rights bureau (OHCHR) says the torture and ill-treatment of civilians is "systematic and widespread".
It says erstwhile detainees picture beatings, electrical shocks, mock executions and intersexual violence, with civilians often detained arbitrarily and families fixed small information.
The Kremlin has accused the OHCHR of bias. In May this year, the UN added Russia to its blacklist of countries suspected of committing intersexual unit successful struggle zones - allegations Russia dismissed arsenic "groundless lies".
Ukrainian authorities accidental much than 16,000 civilians person been taken captive oregon disappeared. Some of these cases followed Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022 - others day backmost arsenic acold arsenic 2014, erstwhile Russia annexed the confederate Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and occupied parts of eastbound Ukraine, triggering wide planetary condemnation.
At that time, Liudmyla was moving arsenic a information technologist connected a poultry workplace successful Novoazovsk, a metropolis successful the Donetsk portion adjacent to the borderline with Russia.
Russian-backed equipped groups seized the city, opening respective years of paramilitary control.
Liudmyla says that, nether occupation, she helped attraction for orphans and took nutrient to Ukrainian forces, who gave her a Ukrainian emblem with notes of acknowledgment written connected it. She believes a photograph of the emblem she shared with trusted friends reached the Russian-backed forces: "This was astir apt wherefore they arrested me."
She was accused of spying, she says, and taken to Izolyatsia - a factory-turned-modern creation assemblage that had been taken implicit by Russian-backed forces. It aboriginal became wide known and feared, arsenic galore accounts of torture emerged from erstwhile detainees.
When she arrived, she says a radical of men - she does not cognize who - surrounded her, pinching her body. "It's not a peach," she recalls 1 of them saying. "Not a dried apricot either. A raisin."
Detainees were forced to basal perpetually from 06:00 to 22:00, and agleam lights shone astatine night, she recalls. Her archetypal days, she says, were punctuated with sounds of distress from different rooms: "I person ne'er heard specified unspeakable screams before."
Two weeks later, she says, she was taken to the 2nd floor, wherever a antheral who was referred to arsenic "Koval" successful the situation told her she was "too aged for boys who travel for 'relaxation'".
Temerbek was there, "being sarcastic… laughing", she says.
Then, she says, Koval sexually assaulted her.
She knows Temerbek's name, she explains, due to the fact that she saw his sanction connected a papers and remembered helium had been known locally for his relation successful the Ukrainian police.
Ukrainian authorities impeach him of moving for the Ministry of State Security (MGB) established by the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), which was created by Russian-backed paramilitaries.
Ukrainian prosecutors person started transgression proceedings against him for being portion of a "terrorist group" - a word they often usage erstwhile alleging collaboration with Russian-backed forces.
Image source, Telegram
Images posted anonymously online springiness a glimpse of conditions successful Izolyatsia
The BBC worked with 2 Ukrainian unfastened root investigators, Bohdan Kosokhatko and Vladyslav Chyryk, to find retired much astir Temerbek and others accused of abuses, gathering connected enactment they person done with the Ukrainian investigative organisation Truth Hounds.
Information including detainees' testimony, societal media posts, media reports and documents from Ukrainian prosecutors allowed our squad to physique up a picture.
The investigators moving with the BBC discovered that Temerbek studied Ukrainian connection astatine assemblage and has a wife, girl and lad successful their 20s, and grandchild. They look to unrecorded successful the Rostov region, successful south-western Russia adjacent the borderline with Ukraine.
A photograph connected societal media from earlier 2014 shows him successful Ukrainian constabulary uniform, with a badge identifying him arsenic a postulation policeman. We were not capable to found whether helium presently has a job.
Liudmyla says the antheral successful the representation was among those who arrested her. She says she past saw Temerbek astir precocious 2021 erstwhile helium called her "bitch" and threatened that she would beryllium sent to Siberia.
We person not been capable to place "Koval".
She says different defender astatine Izolyatsia, referred to wrong the situation arsenic "Yermak", erstwhile ordered her to devour uncooked nutrient mixed with ungraded and rubbish.
"I spat it out, but determination was immoderate left. The sensation of this nutrient volition enactment with maine the remainder of my life," she says. She present finds the odor of nutrient cooking unbearable, and struggles to devour a mean diet.
She ne'er saw Yermak due to the fact that guards often enactment a container implicit her head, she says, but she heard his voice.
On different occasion, she says, helium entered her cell: "He shouted: 'Are you for Ukraine?' I said: 'I'm for justice'. After that, helium began to bushed me."
Image source, VK
Yeriomichev - who was referred to successful the situation arsenic "Yermak" was pictured with a person successful this representation posted connected societal media successful 2020
Liudmyla saw Yermak's look for the archetypal clip erstwhile the investigators moving with the BBC located photos of him connected societal media, showing him with his woman and daughter, connected household holidays and drinking with friends - immoderate arsenic caller arsenic 2024.
He was archetypal identified, arsenic a antheral named Ruslan Yeriomichev, by the investigative reporting radical Bellingcat and Ukrainian writer Stanlislav Aseyev, who was besides held successful Izolyatsia. Yeriomichev is present 46.
According to his societal media accounts, helium studied instrumentality astatine the Donetsk National University.
Ukrainian prosecutors impeach him of aggregate crimes, including cruel attraction of prisoners of warfare and civilians.
It is not wide whether helium inactive works astatine Izolyatsia, but societal media posts suggest helium inactive lives successful the area. Photos connected societal media amusement him with his wife, girl and friends, and connected vacation successful occupied Crimea. Both Temerbek and Yeriomichev were Ukrainian nationals who aboriginal acquired Russian passports.
"They are escaped people, and they tin spell anywhere," Liudmyla reflects arsenic she looks astatine the photos. "They took years disconnected the lives of truthful galore people."
Image source, Dmytro Smolyenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
"I realised I couldn't cry, I had nary tears," says Liudmyla (centre) of the infinitesimal she was released successful October 2022
Liudmyla was released successful a captive speech successful 2022. She was welcomed location by friends. "They stood crying. I realised I couldn't cry, I had nary tears," she says.
Even now, she says: "These feelings, emotions, they are inactive frozen successful me… sometimes I truly privation to outcry and scream, but I can't."
She has been reunited with her hubby and they present unrecorded successful Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. She runs an organisation supporting different women who person been detained, and, utilizing a concealed network, helps nonstop parcels from families to those inactive successful captivity. The BBC besides mapped the standard of the web of detention centres, cross-matching reports from media sources, investigators and quality rights groups.
We identified 93 sites wherever civilians and prisoners of warfare were held successful occupied Ukraine betwixt 2023 and 2025. About a 3rd of them look to beryllium unofficial, successful buildings ranging from a taxation bureau to hotels and garages. We identified different 102 successful Russia. International organisations person not been allowed escaped entree to them.
Ukrainian prosecutors accidental 2,000 radical person passed done specified centres since Russia's full-scale penetration successful 2022.
One of them, 42-year-old sailor Oleksii Sivak, told the BBC helium was among hundreds of civilians arrested successful the aftermath of Russia's seizure of the confederate Ukrainian metropolis of Kherson successful 2022, successful what pro-Kremlin reports called a crackdown connected terrorists.
Oleksii says torture with electrical existent connected the genitals took spot successful the detention installation wherever helium was held successful Kherson
Oleksii, who worked connected cargo ships, says that successful the aboriginal months nether concern helium helped navigator for aged people, arsenic good arsenic making banners and leaflets opposing the Russian presence: "I did what I could, resisted however I could."
He says helium was arrested and taken to a erstwhile constabulary installation successful Kherson. "There was torture with objects," helium says. "On the genitals, electrical current."
In November 2022, the Ukrainian service retook Kherson. He says Russian-backed forces took immoderate detainees arsenic they fled, but helium escaped due to the fact that they did not person capable abstraction successful their vehicles.
Ukrainian prosecutors accidental the Kherson detention installation was tally by Andrey Spivak, antecedently a policeman moving successful the situation strategy successful the Russian metropolis of Omsk.
They person charged him with cruel attraction of the civilian colonisation and violations of the laws of war.
The investigators moving with the BBC recovered that helium is 40 and was calved successful the Omsk region. Images connected societal media suggest helium enjoys fishing, hunting and travelling.
Photos successful caller years amusement him backmost successful Omsk, astatine Russian interior ministry events. The investigators moving with the BBC besides recovered helium has registered his car to enactment arsenic a taxi driver.
Image source, OK.ru
Photos of Spivak connected societal media, similar this 1 from 2014, suggest helium enjoys question and outdoor activities
The BBC tried to interaction Temerbek, Yeriomichev and Spivak astir the allegations successful this study but they did not respond. Asked astir the allegations, the Russian Embassy successful the UK said Russia had "consistently advocated respect for planetary instrumentality and the regularisation of law" and allegations of crimes during the Ukraine struggle "are documented and investigated".
Ukrainian prosecutors person opened ineligible proceedings against dozens of radical accused of mistreating Ukrainians successful Russian-run prisons. A tiny fig person been sentenced successful absentia. The BBC is alert of lone 1 who has been imprisoned - a erstwhile caput of Izolyatsia who was arrested successful Kyiv successful 2021 and has been sentenced to 15 years successful prison.
The tract is inactive operating, according to Ukraine's authoritative general's office.
Since Russia's full-scale penetration successful 2022, the bureau has documented much than 400 cases of conflict-related intersexual unit against civilians. So acold 85 radical person been charged - of which 30 person been fixed situation sentences, astir of them successful absentia.
Oleksii and Liudmyla are some keen to assistance clasp perpetrators of maltreatment of detainees to account.
"For me, justness is not revenge," says Liudmyla. "For me, justness is the decree that these radical intentionally, deliberately did what they did. I privation them to beryllium punished by law."
English (US)·