Ukraine soldier has 'Glory to Russia' burnt into skin by Putin's twisted thugs
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT The captured Ukrainian soldier is seen with the phrase 'Glory to Russia' branded on his skin in a new photograph, which intelligence services in Kyiv have confirmed as genuine
A shocking new photograph shows a freed Ukrainian prisoner with 'Glory to Russia ' burnt into his skin by Vladimir Putin's troops.
Ukraine 's intelligence services have confirmed the disturbing new image as genuine after it circulated online following the exchange of hundreds of soldiers and civilians this week. In the picture, a man is seen with severe burns to his abdomen, with the phrase deliberately branded on his body. He also has a tube inserted into his stomach. The prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine took place after US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire between the two sides last month failed, with the deal emerging as one small area of cooperation amid a continuing bloody conflict.
Confirming that the image of the branded soldier was genuine but dated from a previous POW swap, Andrii Yusov, spokesperson for Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, said yesterday: "Unfortunately, the photo is real. He wasn't in this exchange, but one of the earlier ones.
"While examining him at a rehabilitation centre for soldiers, a doctor, overwhelmed by what he saw, took the photo and posted it online. This is evidence of what our defenders go through in captivity.
"The photo speaks for itself. And it is imperative that not only Ukrainians see it – they know very well what the Russians are – but the whole world."
On Monday, an outpouring of emotion was seen on in Chernyhiv region of northern Ukraine as troops draped in the national flag were paraded through streets, having suffered horrific treatment at the hands of their Russian captors.
More prisoner swaps will be taking in a staggered process taking place over the coming days, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Russian Defense Ministry said, although neither side has confirmed how many.
Those who were swapped included wounded soldiers, as well as those under 25, Zelensky said. He said: "The process is quite complicated, there are many sensitive details, negotiations continue virtually every day."
But in the hours before the prisoner exchange took place, Russia launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the three-year war.
A total of 479 drones and 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine from Sunday to Monday, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas.
Ukraine's air force said its air defences intercepted and destroyed 277 drones and 19 missiles, claiming only 10 drones or missiles hit their targets.
Attacks have continued over the past 48 hours, with two people killed and 54 injured in Russian drone attacks on Kharkiv overnight.
And on Tuesday, three people died and 13 were wounded after Russia hit Kyiv and Odesa with drones and missiles. A number of civilian targets were damaged, including a maternity ward and a cathedral.
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39 minutes ago
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Russian military losses top 1m in three-year-old war, Ukrainian military says
The claim by the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces is in line with Western intelligence estimates. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The UK Ministry of Defence also said in a statement posted Thursday on X that Russia has suffered more than one million casualties, including roughly 250,000 killed since it launched the full-scale invasion on February 24 2022. On June 3, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said Russia would likely hit the mark of one million casualties this summer in what it called 'a stunning and grisly milestone'. Russia last reported its military casualties early in the war when it acknowledged that about 6,000 soldiers had been killed. Earlier this year, the General Staff of the Russian armed forces claimed that Ukrainian military losses had topped one million. 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Glasgow Times
39 minutes ago
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The claim by the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces is in line with Western intelligence estimates. Russia has suffered 1 million combat losses in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. This is the devastating human cost Putin is inflicting on his own people. This invasion is a betrayal of his people who are bearing the true cost of this war.#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 12, 2025 The UK Ministry of Defence also said in a statement posted Thursday on X that Russia has suffered more than one million casualties, including roughly 250,000 killed since it launched the full-scale invasion on February 24 2022. On June 3, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said Russia would likely hit the mark of one million casualties this summer in what it called 'a stunning and grisly milestone'. Russia last reported its military casualties early in the war when it acknowledged that about 6,000 soldiers had been killed. 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Ukrainian police said two people were killed and six were injured in the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. The authorities in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, said 18 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, nurseries and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Mr Terekhov said. Rescue workers put out a fire of a building which was damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv (Ukrainian emergency services via AP/PA) Russia has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. Ukraine responded to the Russian attacks with drone raids. Russia's Defence Ministry said that air defences downed 52 Ukrainian drones early on Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 1,000-kilometre (over 600-mile) front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. A building is seen on fire after a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Services via AP) On Thursday, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed its troops captured two more villages in the Donetsk region, Oleksiivka and Petrivske. The Ukrainian military had no immediate comment on the Russian claim. The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters, making a quick deal unlikely. In Rome, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte commended US President Donald Trump for his 'crucial' move to start direct peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Mr Rutte criticised Mr Putin for appointing his aide Vladimir Medinsky as the top negotiator for the talks in Istanbul. Mr Medinsky ascended through the Kremlin ranks after writing a series of books exposing purported Western plots against Russia and denigrating Ukraine. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte commended US President Donald Trump for his move to start peace talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) 'I think that the Russians sending this historian now twice to these talks in Istanbul, trying to start with the history of 1,000 years ago and then explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here, I think that's not helpful,' Mr Rutte said. 'But at least step by step, we try to make progress.' Also on Thursday, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, noting the stepped-up Russian attacks send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present,' according to German news agency dpa. Mr Pistorius said his visit underlines that the new German government continues to stand by Ukraine. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial co-operation, but also other support,' he said.
