‘Glory to Russia’ Burned on Ukrainian POW’s Body Confirmed Authentic

The photo of a Ukrainian soldier who returned from Russian captivity with the phrase “Glory to Russia” branded onto his body is real, Ukrainian officials have determined.

The photo showing a man’s abdomen with the inscription “Glory to Russia” burned into the now-scarred skin began to circulate on social media. It was published with captions and explanations that this is a Ukrainian soldier who was exchanged and returned from Russian captivity.

On Tuesday, June 10, Andriy Yusov, deputy head of the Coordination Center for Prisoners of War, confirmed that the photo is genuine and corresponds to the caption.

“Unfortunately, this is a real photo. And the story is that it is not from this exchange [June 9 swap], it is from one of the previous exchanges. During an examination in one of the regional centers where the soldiers are undergoing rehabilitation, the doctor just couldn’t stand it, took a picture and posted it online. This is evidence of what our defenders are going through in captivity,” Yusov said on national television.

Yusov said it is very important that not only Ukrainians, but the whole world should see this photo. Ninety percent of the released prisoners interviewed claim violations of their conditions of detention by the Russian Federation. In particular, this includes both the lack of medical care and torture, Yusov added.

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“Violation of the conditions of detention, the necessary standards of nutrition, medical care is a very common phenomenon in Russian captivity. This is something that the ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] should work on, and the entire international community should exert pressure,” he added.

The coordination center emphasizes that Kyiv carefully documents all such facts.

After returning from captivity, all former prisoners are interviewed and all the information received is recorded: about the conditions of detention, about all those involved in violating the rights of prisoners, about Ukrainians who are still in captivity.

“This is an official procedure. This is the work of law enforcement agencies, employees of the Coordination Headquarters, and human rights organizations,” Yusov added, emphasizing Ukraine’s determination to pursue legal means to punish those responsible.