Mordovia Penal Colony No. 10

Location

Penal Colony No. 10 in Mordovia (FKU Penal Colony No. 10 UFISN of Russia in the Republic of Mordovia) is a special regime institution where prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and particularly dangerous recidivists are sent. PC-10 is designed to hold about 850 people, most of whom are currently Ukrainian prisoners of war. Among them are many marines who were captured while defending Mariupol. The colony consists of four blocks. On its territory, there is an industrial block, a canteen, an administrative building, and courtyards for walks.

Conditions of detention

The colony is known for its particularly cruel treatment of POWs. They are subjected to physical and psychological torture, which in some cases has led to the death. It is known that captives are not informed about their whereabouts: when signing documents, the papers were covered so that they could not see the name of the investigator, the name of the colony or even the region.

Torture in Colony No. 10 in Mordovia is extremely widespread:

• beatings with rubber batons, sticks, hands, feet, or whatever is at hand,
• strikes with stun guns,
• mock executions,
• sexual violence,
• beating on the genitals,
• suffocation to the state of unconsciousness,
• setting service dogs on prisoners, leaving them with serious injuries,
• forcing POWs to stand for 18 hours a day.

For the slightest breach of the rules, captives could be beaten even more severely and struck with a taser. During inspections, electric shocks could occur every 10 seconds. Such torture was very common. The wounds of captured servicemen did not have time to heal.

Medical care in the colony in Mordovia was practically absent. Complaints about rotting feet were met with only bandages and furacilin, or even refusal of these.

The lack of proper medical care led to deaths due to:

• general exhaustion of the body,
• malnutrition,
• pneumonia,
• and the consequences of torture.

Most often, former captives recall a medic they called “Doctor Evil” or “Doctor Shocker”. He refused to provide assistance. Instead he tortured and humiliated POWs. If someone complained of pain, “Doctor Evil” would shock them with a taser right where it hurt. Journalists from “Schemes” managed to identify this medic as Ilya Sorokin. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have announced that he is suspected of torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Other medics also treated prisoners harshly. ‘There were two women, one of whom was very cruel. She said several times that we’d be better off dead or “Well, die then, I don’t give a f***,”’ said a former POW.

When one of the prisoners developed mental health issues, colony staff subjected him to increased beatings.

Later, he was tied to a bed without any assistance. His cellmates tried to help him, asking if he needed to go to the toilet or if he wanted to eat, but he barely responded. The man died in Russian captivity, without waiting for an exchange and without receiving any medical assistance.

In Penal Colony No. 10, captives are constantly subjected to humiliation and psychological abuse. According to reports, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, the radio played the same songs glorifying Russia and humiliating Ukrainians. The Russian anthem was played seven times a day, during which POWs were forced to place their hands on their hearts as a symbol of respect.

Colony staff used offensive language and repeated anti-Ukrainian propaganda, calling captives “Nazis” and “fascists” and saying that they “should be subjected to genocide”.

“In Mordovia, each of us constantly had thoughts of suicide because such terrible conditions were created for us. The only thing that stopped us was the belief that we would be exchanged, that our families and loved ones were waiting for us. We also supported each other because it was our faith and mutual support that kept us going,” says a former prisoner.

“All the staff always wore balaclavas, they tried to hide their faces. Looking at the horror that is happening in Mordovia, I was not surprised that they hide their faces,” he added.

“I can say for sure about my cellmate: he died before my eyes as a result of systematic torture,” recalled another serviceman who was held captive in penal colony No. 10.