Fugitive deputy Dmytruk claims that he was tortured in the basement of the SSU

Fugitive deputy Dmytruk claims that he was tortured in the basement of the SSU

The Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmytruk, who has been put on an international wanted list and fled Ukraine to the United Kingdom, claims that he was subjected to torture by Security Service of Ukraine employees at the beginning of the war. He posted a video of his story on his YouTube channel.

Dmytruk claims that he and his assistants were abducted in Odesa on March 4, 2022, after he got into a conflict with SSU employees at a checkpoint while he was serving in a territorial defence group.

"They put a bag over my head, taped my head, hands, and legs. They brutally beat me with rifle butts, legs, and hands. I lost consciousness. I woke up on the floor of a bus," the deputy says.

According to him, he was taken to a basement where they began to interrogate him, accusing him of "treason and working for the Russians." Dmytruk claims he was beaten, trampled on, and his fingers were twisted.

"I lost consciousness several times and fell off the chair. I would wake up—and the torture began again," the deputy recounts.

Dmytruk claims that after the interrogation, they allegedly wanted to throw him off the roof and staged a mock execution. According to him, the torture was aimed at extracting information to discredit him and justify his arrest.

Then, according to him, he was taken to the SSU gym and forced to say on video that "he would never criticize Zelensky, Yermak, and the authorities again."

"They demanded that I say everything loudly and clearly, as if on television. Then they forced me to say something about Trukhanov and the city council, that I would no longer attend meetings. This video is with the SSU," Dmytruk claims.

The deputy showed a photo of his face, which he claims was taken after being beaten by security service employees. The photo shows numerous bruises, swelling around the right eye, and a deformed skull. Dmytruk says he had a broken nose and ears, as well as broken lips and teeth.

After the torture, according to the deputy, he was taken out of the building and "left" in a nearby parking lot, being forbidden to talk about the incident under threat of death.

At the time of publication, the SSU had not commented on Dmytruk’s claims.