Ukraine war: Bodies found amid reports of Russian atrocities in Kherson

Ukraine says it has recovered the bodies of 63 civilians adjacent the precocious liberated metropolis of Kherson bearing signs of torture. Russia has repeatedly denied committing atrocities successful its invasion. But successful Kherson, the BBC spoke to 2 radical who said they were held for much than a period successful what are being described arsenic "torture chambers".

At 1 constabulary presumption successful precocious liberated Kherson, each compartment tells its ain story.

Some person apparel strewn everywhere, 1 has a burnt-out bed, different has canine bowls and rubbish strewn everywhere. In one, a Russian emblem lies successful the centre of the floor.

In compartment fig six is Anzhela's story.

It was present she spent 31 days with 4 different women aft being captured by Russian soldiers successful June.

Before the penetration of Ukraine successful February, Anzhela, 49, was a TV presenter connected a Telethon channel. By aboriginal March, armoured Russian convoys were entering her location metropolis of Kherson.

As Russia's grip tightened astir the determination capital, demonstrations were gradually crushed, and freedoms were eroded. In June, equipped men entered Anzhela's home, separated her from her boyfriend, enactment a container implicit her caput and loaded her connected to a bus.

It was from determination Anzhela was taken to compartment fig six.

"On the 3rd floor, men were beaten," she recalls. "When the idiosyncratic is being tortured with electricity, you perceive it. It is simply a peculiar sound.

"Men were screaming successful pain."

After the Russians took Kherson, investigators accidental they rounded up radical with connections to the Ukrainian subject oregon partisans who'd protested against their occupation.

They assertion to person recovered 11 amerciable prisons and 4 torture chambers successful Kherson aft it was liberated. More than 700 radical person been reported arsenic missing.

It's feared they are either dormant oregon person been illegally taken to Russian-occupied territories, oregon Russia itself.

And present Ukraine has announced the find of dozens of bodies with signs of torture adjacent the city. Interior curate Denys Monastyrsky said the probe into crimes determination had lone conscionable begun, "so galore much dungeons and burial places volition beryllium uncovered".

Anzhela calmly describes being psychologically tortured for much than a month. She often saw bodies wrapped successful integrative taken retired aft "interrogations went excessively far".

Then she draws enactment and describes the scars she inactive bears.

"There are immoderate triggers," she says. "When they opened the gates, they made a circumstantial sound. It meant much radical were arriving to beryllium interrogated."

The writer says she couldn't autumn dormant due to the fact that the lights were ever on. Once released, she recovered she couldn't spell to furniture successful the dark.

What Anzhela didn't cognize was that her fellow was being held astatine the constabulary presumption too.

Oleksandr Maksimenko, 69, shared a country with 15 different men, who helium claims were relentlessly beaten and tortured. Some were electrocuted.

"It's horrible," helium remembers. "One feline who was brought to the compartment aft his interrogation came backmost with a achromatic tongue. It was truthful swollen it couldn't spell backmost successful his mouth."

Oleksandr says helium shared painkillers with his compartment mates. Temperatures often reached 40C and they were made to larn the Russian nationalist anthem.

"One antheral was truthful bruised, helium was astir afloat bluish from his caput to his legs. It took him 8 days to beryllium capable to basal up," helium says.

Investigators accidental prisoners were often forced to confess to being a Ukrainian collaborator to beryllium freed.

In Oleksandr's case, helium had to look connected Russian authorities TV.

As the tide of Russian concern erstwhile again recedes successful Ukraine, Moscow is again accused of committing warfare crimes.

Russia continues to contradict deliberately targeting civilians, contempt overwhelming evidence.

In liberated Kherson, the harm isn't truthful overmuch structural, alternatively a spot wherever everyone has a communicative of vivid struggle.

It seems similar a metropolis the Russians particularly wanted to represent arsenic their own.

They hoped targeting radical similar Oleskandr and Anzhela would assistance them successful that goal.

Additional reporting by Anastasia Levchenko, Daria Sipigina, Moose Campbell, Alex Milner, Leisha Santorelli and Dave Bull.