Ukraine uncovers torture dungeon in Kherson after 63 bodies of victims are found

Ukrainian investigators have uncovered a torture dungeon in the recently liberated city of Kherson, following the discovery of 63 bodies with signs of torture.

Reports say a former juvenile detention centre had been repurposed by Russian forces as a facility to inflict electrocutions, suffocations and beatings upon civilians, before their bodies were disposed of.

Neighbours allegedly witnessed bodies being dumped outside the facility, with new victims being brought in with bags over their heads. 

Among the sinister finds inside were gas masks possibly used to suffocate prisoners, as well as writing from a detainee on the wall which read: ‘Pray to God for us. God, give us strength. God, save and protect.’

A detainee has also described hearing a cellmate’s screams as electrodes were attached to his genitals. 

Markings from inmates used to count the days they were held there were also found on the walls of the squalid facility.

A gas mask, possibly used to suffocate prisoners, is pictured inside a torture dungeon reportedly used by Russian troops

Graffiti on the wall of the torture dungeon reads: ‘Pray God for us. God, give strength. God, save and protect’

A room inside the horrific Russian torture chamber discovered in liberated Kherson is pictured on 16 November

Writing is seen on the walls of a cell at a preliminary detention centre in Kherson on 16 November which is believed to have been used by Russian forces to jail and torture civilians

One of the many rooms inside the torture dungeon in Kherson, which was once a detention centre

Markings inside the facility appear to mark the days that a prisoner had been contained within their cell

IT specialist Zhenia Dremo was one of the civilians to be held in the facility, telling the Guardian he was taken there after being ‘struck on the forehead at a checkpoint for not having cigarettes to give to the soldiers.’ 

He said Russian troops ‘attached one electro-rod to his (cellmate’s) balls and the other to his penis. Then for two hours I would sit there and listen to him scream.’

Dremo added he believes over 180 people could have been held there at any point, with over 23 cells holding up to eight people.

Nearby neighbours told the Guardian they began hearing screams coming from the building after it was taken over by Russian troops in March, with one resident describin Russia’s occupation of the city as ‘like a horror movie’ to Radio 4 today.

The witnesses added they saw people being taken into the building with bags over their heads, and bodies being dumped in outbuildings behind the facility. 

After being tipped off by locals, the discovery of the gruesome facility was made during a patrol of the city by the SBU secret service and national police officers.

In inhumane conditions, the invaders interrogated ‘local patriots’ there who ‘refused to cooperate with the enemy’, the Ukrainian government said in a statement.

A cell discovered in the torture dungeon alleged to have been used by Russian forces in Kherson

A broken portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin sits on a chair in the torture dungeon on 17 November

A squalid cell inside the converted detention centre, where Russian forces allegedly carried out tortures

The country’s interior minister said on Thursday that the 63 bodies found in Kherson showed signs of torture, Reuters reported.

With investigations only just beginning there are fears that even more bodies could be found, with Ukrainian politician Denys Monastyrsky saying in a statement that ‘many more dungeons and burial places’ could be uncovered.

The discovery of torture chambers has become a feature of Russian retreats, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba saying: ‘Every time we liberate a piece of our territory from Russian army we find torture rooms and mass graves with civilians tortured and murdered by Russian army.’  

Last week, a torture chamber was discovered on the outskirts of Kherson, as the city faces a humanitarian crisis following its liberation.

The remaining residents lack water, medicine and food, and are unable to produce staples such as bread because of a lack of electricity of water.

‘The occupiers and collaborators did everything possible so that those people who remained in the city suffered as much as possible over those days, weeks, months of waiting’ for Ukraine’s forces to arrive, Roman Holovnya, an adviser to Kherson’s mayor, said.  

Yesterday, an investigation was launched after evidence of a mass shooting of 17 Ukrainian fighters by Russian occupiers was discovered in the city’s Shevchenko Park.

Investigators examine Shevchenko Park in Kherson yesterday, where Russian occupiers allegedly shot dead 17 Ukrainian servicemen in Kherson

A tree in Shevchenko Park with appears to contain bullet marks is pictured on 16 November in Shevchenko Park

Police have cordoned off a section of the park, where what appears to be bullet holes can be seen in trees in the usually scenic beauty spot.   

Investigations by the US this week showed Russia’s war in Ukraine may already have killed or wounded tens of thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Satellite images of Mariupol, which is in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in the east of the country, showed a larger number of additional graves have been added to the city’s cemetery between March 24 and October 14.

Mariupol City Council said there is now a 21st mass grave in the city’s cemetery as they released footage of the area.