Fact-check 05
Blind spots that are not there
Fact-check 05 · Blind spots that are not there
PDF · 6 pagesRussia's Arria-formula meeting of 14 October 2026, "Piercing the Blind Spots of Violations of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law in the Context of the Ukrainian Crisis". Russia argued that the UN ignores violations by Ukrainian forces. The UN's own reports record them — because Ukraine lets the UN in — and record torture in Russian custody on a far larger scale, where Russia lets no one in. Eight claims by Vassily Nebenzia, Rodion Miroshnik and Larry C. Johnson, checked against OHCHR, the Committee against Torture and the Commission of Inquiry, and against the UN Web TV transcript. Related: Fact-check 04 — Oleshky.
The recordOHCHR, 29 Jun 2026: torture or ill-treatment described by 75 of 134 POWs held by Ukraine and by 124 of 129 Ukrainian POWs released by Russia; 31 executions of persons hors de combat by Ukrainian forces and 129 by Russian forces since Feb 2022. OHCHR has full access in territory held by Ukraine and none in Russia or occupied Ukraine.
Fair to sayUkrainian violations are real and on the UN record, and Ukraine has opened investigations. They are known because Ukraine gives the UN and the ICRC the access Russia refuses. None of it is a "blind spot".
Claim 1 · Vassily Nebenzia · 14 Oct“…the conclusions of the UN Committee against Torture regarding the systematic torture and sexual violence [against Russian servicemen in Ukrainian custody]”
Misquotes the CommitteeThe Committee's review of Ukraine (CAT/C/UKR/CO/7, adopted 1 May 2025) lists "allegations of torture, including sexual violence against" Russian prisoners of war, notes 20 investigations opened and asks for their results (para. 17(a)). It does not call them systematic. Its words "widespread and systemic torture, including sexual violence" are in para. 19 — about Ukrainian POWs and civilians held by the Russian occupying authorities. Concedes: That the Committee against Torture is an authority — including on Russia.
Claim 2 · Vassily Nebenzia · 14 Oct“…it goes to great lengths to avoid documentation of the crimes of the Kiev regime… making unfounded accusations against Russia, which is particularly characteristic of the OHCHR headed by Mr. Volker Türk.”
The UN documents both sidesOHCHR's latest report (29 Jun 2026): 75 of 134 POWs held by Ukraine reported torture or ill-treatment, mainly in transit facilities (para. 93); 31 executions of persons hors de combat by Ukrainian forces since Feb 2022 (para. 96); 108 cases of conflict-related sexual violence by Ukrainian officials (para. 100). The Commission of Inquiry found violations by Ukrainian authorities against people accused of collaboration (7 Nov 2025). Concedes: That UN documentation counts — yet Russia has not answered OHCHR's access requests.
Claim 3 · Rodion Miroshnik · 14 Oct“In the border area, which is controlled by Kyiv, there is a whole network of dozens of secret prisons, which in the reports of international human rights organizations are called "transit camps"…”
No evidence presentedNo number, list or location was put on the record. Miroshnik's own "Secret Prisons" material calls the sites "transit points" (360.ru, 26 Feb 2026) — the category the UN already reports: two unofficial places of internment in or near Kyiv in 2025, one in Donetsk region and one in Kharkiv region in 2024 (OHCHR, 30 Jun 2025, paras. 48–55). No UN body, the ICRC or the OSCE has confirmed a "network". In the meeting Miroshnik himself said an OHCHR report noted "accurately in passing" that most of the crimes were committed at the early stages of detention. Concedes: That the UN does report on Ukrainian detention — Miroshnik says so himself, which is the opposite of the meeting's premise.
Claim 4 · Rodion Miroshnik · 14 Oct“[Prisoners mention] electric chairs… field telephones… barbaric pseudo-medical procedures, the limbs amputated, medieval torture, being branded…”
Partly on the UN record, presented selectivelyOHCHR has published cases of torture of Russian POWs by Ukrainian personnel, including electric shocks at an unofficial site in Kharkiv region in 2024 (30 Jun 2025, para. 55). It has no record of amputations or branding. The same reports record torture in Russian custody on another scale: 124 of 129 released Ukrainian POWs (29 Jun 2026, para. 86); OHCHR has called it "widespread and systematic" (1 Oct 2024). Concedes: That torture of prisoners must be investigated — a standard Russia does not apply to its own facilities.
Claim 5 · Vassily Nebenzia · 14 Oct“…where Ukrainian forces are extensively imposing logistical blockades… [Miroshnik] personally visited the sites of shelling and blockades, including in Alyoshki.”
The town is Russian-heldRussia has occupied Oleshky since 24 Feb 2022 and controls every road into it. The UN monitoring mission: "an occupying power has the duty to ensure food and medical supplies for the population and to facilitate humanitarian relief" (25 Jun 2026). A list of evacuees was agreed with Russia, Ukraine's Ombudsman has verified 358 people who need immediate evacuation and the ICRC is ready to take part — Russia has not confirmed it will go ahead (Ombudsman, 16 Sep 2026); on 19 Oct the Ombudsman said the sides were agreeing the final details. Full check: Fact-check 04. Concedes: A humanitarian crisis in a town Russia occupies.
Claim 6 · Vassily Nebenzia · 14 Oct“Kiev terrorizes the civilian population even deep in Russia.”
Unverified figures — and a rule that binds Russia tooRussian authorities report 205 civilians killed and 1,302 injured by Ukrainian attacks across 27 regions (Dec 2025 – May 2026); OHCHR "has not been able to verify the circumstances" (para. 68). The Commission of Inquiry has found Ukrainian authorities responsible for some violations of humanitarian law. In the same six months OHCHR verified at least 1,272 civilians killed and 6,871 injured in Ukraine (para. 64). Concedes: His own principle: IHL "must be observed by all countries".
Claim 7 · Vassily Nebenzia · 14 Oct“[The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Claudia Fuentes Julio,] couldn't make time to attend our meeting…”
Arria meetings are informalAn Arria-formula meeting is not a meeting of the Security Council; it is convened by a member, usually leaves no record, and its briefers are mostly from civil society (Security Council Report). The Secretariat had briefed the Council formally on Ukraine five days earlier (9 Oct). OHCHR's findings — on both sides — are public. Concedes: That Russia wants the UN human rights office in the room — while barring it from Russia and occupied Ukraine.
Claim 8 · Larry C. Johnson · 14 Oct“At least 12,404 civilians have been killed by Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2014… The record of Russia in Ukraine is consistent with a policy of not targeting civilians.”
Adds a UN total to a Russian figureThe number appears to add OHCHR's 2014–2021 total for Donbas to the Russian MFA's claim of "more than 9,000" since 2022. The OHCHR total counts civilians killed by all parties on both sides of the contact line, and includes the 298 people on flight MH17 (at least 3,393 as of 30 Sep 2021). The 9,000 is not UN-verified. On targeting: the Commission of Inquiry found that Russian forces committed murder of civilians with drones in Kherson as a crime against humanity, "part of a coordinated state policy" (28 May 2025); in Bucha the UN documented the killing of 73 civilians while Russian forces held the town (OHCHR, 7 Dec 2022). Concedes: The UN's count: he cites HRMMU's 16,431 civilians killed since Feb 2022 (as of 14 Jul 2026) as reliable.
The roomAll 14 other Council members spoke. None endorsed the claim that the UN hides Ukrainian violations.
Access is the pointDenmark called the meeting a "charade"; Latvia, the UK, France and Greece pointed to Russia's refusal of access — to occupied territory, to Ukrainian POWs, to Oleshky. Panama, Colombia and Liberia backed the UN's monitoring mechanisms.
Fact-check 05 · six-page dossier (PDF) p.1 one-page summary · p.2 the meeting, the speakers and what the 14 other members said · p.3–4 the eight claims against the record · p.5 the record side by side, the law, lines to take and Q&A · p.6 sources and method · v1, 19 Oct 2026
Open in the interactive hub → ↑ Fact-checks
Use this record. Quote the figures with the source and date named on this page; in statements, briefings and reporting cite the original body, not this site. The data are open (CC BY 4.0).
Open data (CC BY 4.0) Subscribe to updates Report an error Method & corrections
Languages: English · Français · Español · Русский · العربية · 中文
Page generated 2026-10-20 · CC BY 4.0