Azernews.Az

A Ukrainian soldier released in a prisoner exchange has alleged that Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Chechnya were forced to work without pay on construction projects linked to associates of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, AzerNEWS reports.

Speaking to Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, Serhii Skotarenko, 52, said he spent more than three years in captivity, including time in Grozny, after being captured during a combat mission in Ukraine's Donetsk region in 2023.

Skotarenko claimed he was initially captured by fighters from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic before being transferred to Chechen forces.

According to his account, Ukrainian POWs were later required to perform construction work on apartment buildings and private homes.

"We were made to work on both apartment blocks and private houses. Representatives of Grozny's elite 'hired' us for the work," Skotarenko said.

He alleged the work was unpaid and that prisoners were told they had to "earn their food." According to Skotarenko, detainees received two bowls of soup and a piece of bread daily, while those assigned to work were given an additional bread roll.

Skotarenko also said he lost around 15 kilograms during his captivity and contracted tuberculosis.

The former prisoner claimed Ukrainian POWs were initially held in the basements of Grozny's State Traffic Safety Inspectorate before being transferred to basements beneath a construction site after the original building was demolished. He also alleged that Ramzan Kadyrov visited the site and instructed officials to provide prisoners with a television.

According to Skotarenko, around 35 Ukrainian prisoners remain in detention in Chechnya.

He was released on April 24 as part of a prisoner exchange involving 193 Ukrainian servicemen.

The Chechen authorities have not commented on Skotarenko's allegations, and they have not been independently verified.