Tortured, abducted, disappeared: the desperate plight of disabled Ukrainians at the hands of Russian invaders

2 May 2024, 14:36 | Updated: 3 May 2024, 15:15

Disappeared, abducted, tortured, used as human shields, starved or deprived of medicines resulting in death. These are the crimes that have likely been committed against Ukrainians with disabilities since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the Independent's new 18-month investigation.

This litany of horrors does not even cover what those close to the frontline face with few ways of getting to shelter or accessing food and water, under the most ferocious bombardments of our time in Europe.

Despite being among the most vulnerable groups in any conflict, Maksym - a Ukrainian with a disability who was disappeared into Russia early on in the war – told me, those with disabilities are the last to be remembered and the first to be left behind.

He is one of at least 500 Ukrainians with disabilities - including children - who were forcibly removed to Russian held territory and Russia, according to our 18 month investigation. He is also one of the few who managed to get out and back to safety.

In many instances the people were held incommunicado, kept in squalid conditions and even forced into adopting Russian passports in order to secure treatment or care. The fate of the vast majority of those people we tracked remains unknown. There is also evidence some of the children who were taken were sent to “re-education camps” to learn Russian language, culture and the Kremlin’s version of history.

Russia denies committing any crimes in Ukraine, and has boasted of these transfers as “humanitarian evacuations”. But Ukrainian officials told me they fear this is part of Russia’s efforts to erase Ukrainian identity and have even labelled it a “genocide”.

The findings are part of the series launched today which delves into the desperate plight of at least 2.7 million people with disabilities in Ukraine, many of them unnecessarily living in institutions. They have been “disproportionately” impacted by President Putin’s war, according to the United Nations which has said it is “gravely concerned” about the community.

Our investigation has been labelled by the UN’s former special rapporteur on rights of persons with disabilities as “an important step in a wider debate” on the topic. It hopes to open a vital discussion about the impact of war on people with disabilities across the world.

Although technically covered by the 4th Geneva Convention on civilian protection, experts say adequate protection of persons with disabilities in conflict has been woefully neglected throughout the world.

Take the draft United Nations treaty on crimes against humanity which is being deliberated right now.

It fails to even mention civilians with disabilities who, as the war in the Ukraine shows, are clearly repeatedly victims. This is despite the darkest of historical precedents, such as the Nazi’s T4 project to kill those deemed incurably ill, physically or mentally disabled.

Armed conflict is ableist. So is the response to it. There should be a paradigm shift in actions and how we use international law - and maybe even the wording of international law.

We must and can do more to protect those who are the most vulnerable.

We need change now.

Bel Trew, is chief international correspondent for the Independent