A defender of Mariupol spoke about his 920 days in Russian captivity: electric shocks, suffocation, and more

When the prisoners were first brought to Mordovia, they had to stand naked in the cold for three hours, listening to Soviet songs.

Pavlo Afisov, a serviceman of the 36th separate marine brigade who defended Mariupol, shared his experience of being held and tortured in Russian captivity, where he spent 920 days.

The former prisoner shared this in an interview with “Suspilne.”

In 2021, Afisov, along with his battalion, arrived for rotation in the village of Talakivka, just a few kilometers from Mariupol. There, on the positions, they met the full-scale invasion, and on the night of March 1, the soldier, together with his comrades, established a circular defense and held it until April 12. During an attempt to break out from the surrounded city, the marine was captured.

Three hours naked, listening to Soviet songs

The soldier shared that when the Ukrainian prisoners of war were brought to Mordovia, they had bags put over their heads and were then ordered to undress. The soldiers had to stand naked in the cold for three hours, listening to Soviet songs.

“I quickly undress. It’s February, the doors are open, there’s snow, and it’s freezing outside. I undress completely, lift my head for the first time, and I see how many of them there are – the FSIN workers in blue uniforms, special forces – there were a lot of them. There was a conveyor system set up: they led me into one room, started cutting my hair, moving the clippers back and forth like a lawnmower. I was one of the first. They led me into a small room, and I saw that there were guys standing there, the first row was already filled – six or seven people in a row, naked, next to each other. They put me in the second row, and they squeezed us together as tightly as possible, like sardines in a can. Three hours with the doors open to the street, cold tiles, and we – about 80 people – naked, standing as closely as possible. From the corner, the radio blared ‘Three Tankmen,’ ‘Victory Day,’ and ‘Katyusha.’ When they started to take us out, I was led out almost last,” Afisov recounted.

Without permission, they couldn’t drink or go to the toilet

In the cell, there was constant video surveillance of the prisoners. They had to stand at all times, with no right to drink water or use the toilet without permission.

“There’s a line, and you stand silently for 16 hours a day. You are not allowed to move, talk, or whisper. You can’t drink water without permission, go to the toilet without permission. You had to rely on the guard, who might give you the go-ahead. There were times when people relieved themselves on the spot because they knew that if they went without permission, they would be taken out with the entire cell, and there would be what they call a ‘very good preventive measure,’ as they put it,” the soldier shared.

He also mentioned the poor quality and small amount of food. It got to the point where eight people were given three sausages.

“And then they lead you to some bathhouse or for a walk, and you see a dog’s bowl. It has those 20 sausages in it, and even the dog doesn’t eat them,” Afisov added.

The prisoners ate while standing, and the time allotted for eating was only 3-5 minutes.

They shocked with electricity and strangled with garbage bags

The enemy paid special attention to the defenders of Mariupol, border guards, and marines in captivity. The prisoners were shocked with electricity and strangled with garbage bags.

“There were moments in Mordovia, interrogations — we called them ‘probivon’ — an interrogation without a protocol. I was at such interrogations four times during my time in Mordovia for 1 year and 8 months. You either stand in a half-squat or lie flat on the floor. In the same room with you, there are 4-5 officers — FSIN staff and special forces. The main questions are about the killing of civilians, looting, cooperation with foreign military, or whether I know about other cases. You say you’re just a psychologist who was at the command observation post. Of course, they don’t believe that. Then they start kicking you in the ribs, the second one comes up and starts adjusting different shocker charges on me in different places, and asks me where it hurts the most. If I don’t answer, he increases the charge and says, ‘I can’t hear you answering, I’m talking to you.’ The second one says the phrase ‘I’m talking to you,’ the third one says something, they come at you in a crowd. You experience an incredible adrenaline rush. You just think about how to make it all end sooner,” Afisov recounted.

The Russians also put garbage bags over the prisoners’ heads and began strangling them.

“They start choking to the point… I have convulsions, I try to remove it, they hit me on the arms, shock me. And I can already feel that this is the moment when I’m about to lose contact with this world. And at that moment, they suddenly remove it, start splashing water on me, slapping my cheeks, bringing me back to my senses,” the soldier shared.

It should be reminded that former Azov soldier Artur Niverchuk spoke about his time in one of the most horrific Russian prisons, “Black Dolphin,” where the enemy sent him to serve a life sentence.

Iryna Labyak

Tags: interview mariupol Russia russia ukraine war Ukraine war