Valuyki Penal Colony No. 7
Valuyki, Belgorod Oblast
Russia
Penal Colony
Active
Correctional Colony No. 7 in Valuyki, Belgorod Oblast, is a strict-regime facility with a capacity of 1,200 people. It holds both prisoners of war and civilians. The place of detention is located 5 km from Penal Colony No. 9, where Ukrainian female prisoners of war are held.
There are several areas on the territory: an industrial and living areas, a punishment cell, and a room for prisoners to take part in court hearings online. The buildings (‘units’) where the prisoners are held have sleeping quarters with bunk beds, toilets, showers, a rest room, and courtyards. The sections are supervised by colony staff, who are mediators between the prisoners and the prison administration.
In Penal Colony No. 7 in Valuyki, Ukrainian POWs are subjected to physical and psychological abuse. This includes beatings with rubber batons and electric shockers, which leave burn wounds. If the guards did not like something, they could punish the POW on duty or even the entire room: they beat them and forced them to do squats, sometimes 250 times.
During rare walks, colony workers set dogs on prisoners of war, and the dogs bit and tore the prisoners’ clothes.
To receive humanitarian aid, including food and clothing, Ukrainian prisoners were forced to work. However, the aid did not reach them. They wore the same clothes for several months. Walks were extremely rare. And when they did happen, the guards set dogs on the prisoners.
“The warden came and said, ‘If you work, you will receive bonuses; if not, you will be punished. So we glued shoelaces onto folders containing personal documents. Later, we found out that these bonuses were humanitarian aid, which never reached us,’ released POW Volodymyr recalled.
Overview
Correctional Colony No. 7 in Valuyki, Belgorod Oblast, is a strict-regime facility with a capacity of 1,200 people. It holds both prisoners of war and civilians. The place of detention is located 5 km from Penal Colony No. 9, where Ukrainian female prisoners of war are held.
There are several areas on the territory: an industrial and living areas, a punishment cell, and a room for prisoners to take part in court hearings online. The buildings (‘units’) where the prisoners are held have sleeping quarters with bunk beds, toilets, showers, a rest room, and courtyards. The sections are supervised by colony staff, who are mediators between the prisoners and the prison administration.
Torture & Abuse
In Penal Colony No. 7 in Valuyki, Ukrainian POWs are subjected to physical and psychological abuse. This includes beatings with rubber batons and electric shockers, which leave burn wounds. If the guards did not like something, they could punish the POW on duty or even the entire room: they beat them and forced them to do squats, sometimes 250 times.
During rare walks, colony workers set dogs on prisoners of war, and the dogs bit and tore the prisoners’ clothes.
Food & Sanitation
To receive humanitarian aid, including food and clothing, Ukrainian prisoners were forced to work. However, the aid did not reach them. They wore the same clothes for several months. Walks were extremely rare. And when they did happen, the guards set dogs on the prisoners.
Testimonies & Reports
“The warden came and said, ‘If you work, you will receive bonuses; if not, you will be punished. So we glued shoelaces onto folders containing personal documents. Later, we found out that these bonuses were humanitarian aid, which never reached us,’ released POW Volodymyr recalled.
News
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EU imposed sanctions on the heads and staff of colonies where Ukrainian POWs are tortured
On 13 July, the Council of the European Union adopted a decision imposing restrictive measures on 15 individuals and one entity responsible for violations of the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war and unlawfully detained civilians. Most of those listed are heads and staff of penal colonies where prisoners are held.
Around 700 Azov POWs in captivity, over 250 already sentenced: presentation of the Civic Evidence report
On June 30, in Kyiv, at Ukrinform, the independent initiative Civic Evidence presented its report "The Honorable Captivity of Azov: How Propaganda, Violence, and Trials Shape the Fate of Ukrainian Prisoners of War in Russia." The study focuses on the situation of Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Azov regiment and exposes a mechanism that combines Russian propaganda machinery, practices of torture, and fabricated criminal prosecution. The authors document the systemic nature of Russia's violations of international humanitarian law and call for strengthening international mechanisms to protect prisoners of war.
Russian medics torture prisoners of war: a new study by human rights defenders
On 24 June, the Center for Civil Liberties presented the analytical study "Anatomy of Torture" in Kyiv. The document examines the role of Russian medical personnel in the torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war and illegally detained civilians.
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