Ukrainian lawmaker confirms beatings at neo-Nazi ‘torture chamber’
A Ukrainian lawmaker has acknowledged evidence of beatings at a suspected military torture site operated by the notorious neo-Nazi-linked Azov unit.
Allegations of abuse at the facility prompted relatives and activists to gather outside the building on Monday. Police cracked down on the protesters, while four injured servicemen were taken to a hospital.
MP Anna Skorokhod, who inspected the building during the protests, later interviewed the four hospitalized servicemen. She said all four had reported being beaten and that she had personally observed bruises and hematomas on their bodies.
Another serviceman told the MP that two members of the military unit demanded money from him. Skorokhod also questioned why he had been held at the facility for over a month.
“I have no answer as to what he was doing there for 37 days or why he was being held there at all,” she said.
The facility, housed in a private residence, is operated by a unit of the neo-Nazi-linked Azov Corps within Ukraine’s National Guard. Azov said 26 mobilized servicemen were held there, including two detained after going AWOL, but denied allegations of torture.
Ukrainian investigators have opened a probe into possible abuse of authority by military personnel at the site. No charges against those accused of beating the servicemen have been publicly announced.
Legal action has also been taken against the protesters. A court ordered the detention of medic Valentina Molodaya, who took part in the intervention, and other participants, while police identified around 130 people suspected of involvement in the unrest.
Ukrainian media have reported allegations that military commanders operate unofficial detention sites, known in military slang as “pits,” to punish servicemen outside the legal system. Critics accuse those running the facilities of beatings, extortion and profiteering. Ukraine’s recruitment system has also faced allegations of violent forced mobilization, known as “busification.”
Skorokhod has previously raised allegations of widespread abuse in Ukraine’s military. In December 2024, she said a parliamentary commission she headed had investigated complaints of beatings, extortion and mistreatment across 22 military brigades. Some cases resulted in criminal investigations.
