Russian surgeons burned “Glory to Russia” on the body of a Ukrainian POW
Russian surgeons reportedly humiliated Ukrainian serviceman Andriy Pereverzev during an operation in a Donetsk hospital. They burned the pro-Russian slogan “Слава России” (“Glory to Russia”) and the letter Z onto his body. Journalists identified the perpetrators as Russian surgeons from the group “Friends of Donbas Medicine”. The case is being investigated under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which covers violations of the laws and customs of war.
The inscription on the Ukrainian soldier’s abdomen was made on February 24, 2024, during surgery at the Donetsk Clinical Territorial Medical Association (DOKTMO). According to the investigation by the project “Skhemy”, the surgeons responsible were Andriy Kryachko and Yuriy Kuznetsov. Both regularly visited the hospital in the occupied territory, bringing humanitarian aid and performing operations.
The group “Friends of Donbas Medicine” was initiated by Moscow-based surgeon and Russian State Duma deputy Badma Bashankaev, who also operated in the Donetsk hospital. Bashankaev is under international sanctions, and Ukraine has opened a case against him for encroachment on the country’s territorial integrity; he is wanted by Ukrainian authorities.
In summer 2025, photos of Pereverzev’s body showing the burned inscription and letter Z appeared in the media. On February 24, 2024, the soldier of the 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade was wounded and taken prisoner. He was moved to Donetsk, initially held in a basement with severe injuries, and later brought to the hospital for surgery.
“I only noticed the inscription on my abdomen a few days after the operation, when I began to recover,” Pereverzev told journalists. Ukrainian medical personnel assisting him noted that the inscription was made with a special medical instrument from the surgeon’s usual operating side (right side).
Journalists also concluded that local Donetsk doctors were unlikely to carry out such actions on their own—the hospital had a group of Russian medical personnel who arrived in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion. This team included more than 20 doctors from different specialties, coordinated by Bashankaev.
“The entire hospital knew about the humiliating inscription,” the investigation states. Former DOKTMO staff, as well as heads of surgical and ICU departments, confirmed this.
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine reported that a criminal case has been opened regarding the cruel treatment of Andriy Pereverzev under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The investigation is ongoing, and the Ukrainian soldier continues to receive medical care and rehabilitation after the torture and medical abuse.
