Ukraine's Representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Tripartite Contact Group for the Donbas settlement, First Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Gerashchenko has said all Ukrainians who were released from the captivity of Russia-controlled militants in Donbas, had suffered head injuries and some complained they had been sodomized by captors.
"I saw medical certificates – all released had craniocerebral traumas. They had been tortured, beaten on the head. A dozen of them revealed they had been sodomized," she said in an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda.
According to Gerashchenko, after the release, former prisoners are undergoing medical examination and a vetting by special services.
Read alsoUkraine official: "no referendum" to be held in occupied Donbas
"That's not just because they might be suspected of something, no. In fact, it's from these conversations that we gather information on people the militants are still keeping hostage," she said.
Gerashchenko said all Ukrainians released had returned with severe PTSD, therefore they were undergoing psychological rehabilitation.
"Captivity is a terrible test. The first breath of freedom is not easy either. That's why I think it's important we create a Ministry for Veterans Affairs. The issue concerns not only the hostages, but also those guys have gone to war, saw death, and killed the enemy," she said.
