Russia accused of POW amputations

RUSSIAN forces are amputating the hands and arms of Ukrainian prisoners to ensure that they cannot fight when they are given back to Kyiv.

The revelation follows a UN Commission of Inquiry report which highlighted the “horrific” treatment of Pows.

“We are concerned at the scale, continuation and gravity of violations and crimes,” said panel chairman Erik Mose last month.

At least 70 captured soldiers are said to have had limbs deliberately removed.

The war crime has already been perpetrated by mercenaries attached to the Wagner “private” military group.

In last week’s Sunday Express, Lord Ashcroft described a visit to see Ukrainian veterans at the Medical Center of Orthotics and Prosthetics in Maryland.

He told how one soldier captured by Wagner mercenaries had “both his arms amputated above the elbows in the most haphazard way”.

And last year, Russian commanders were accused of horrific atrocities, including beheading Ukrainians.

Speaking on the social media platform Telegram, “Dmytro”, an officer released in a prisoner exchange, revealed his captors ordered surgeons to cut off his arms.

“My arms are a mess, they cut both off,” he said. “They told us ‘you will not fight again’.” More than 3,000 Ukrainian troops with life-changing injuries are undergoing treatment via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which provides medical care and a response to disasters.

But the UK is not supporting the scheme, despite Leicestershire’s Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre having most of its 70 beds free. Senior Ukrainian officials expected it would be used to accommodate Ukrainian soldiers.

But sources say the plan has been scrapped because of the political implications regarding NHS waiting lists.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman disputed claims that the facility was earmarked for Ukrainian amputees, adding: “Our support is focused on helping to develop Ukraine’s medical services in country. The UK continues to lead military support for Ukraine, including through a programme of medical training both in the UK and in Ukraine.”

‘They told us “you will not fight again”’