He shared this in an interview with Ukrinform.
According to him, he endured all possible forms of torture while in Russian captivity.
Leyva Garcia stated that he and other POWs were subjected to daily beatings, electric shocks, grueling physical exercises in freezing temperatures, including at minus 30 degrees Celsius, as well as sexual violence.
The former marine, Leyva Garcia, who has Cuban roots (father is Cuban, mother is Ukrainian), emphasized that the brutality in Russian captivity does not depend on a person’s citizenship or background.
While imprisoned, he experienced particularly harsh treatment due to his Latin American name and Cuban heritage.
In his opinion, the purpose of torture varies depending on the level of those administering it. For the FSB and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, it might be to obtain information, to shift blame for their own war crimes, to break a person, and to enlist them into Russian propaganda.
At a lower level, the torture is often of a sadistic nature.
“These individuals derived personal satisfaction from seeing harm inflicted upon others. They often do not wish to engage in combat, so they torment helpless, defenseless people who cannot retaliate. Therefore, at this level, we are talking about sadism,” he said.
Leyva Garcia stressed that Russia promotes an ideology of hatred against Ukrainians and other peoples within the country.
“We have a problem with an infected system and an ideology of hate at all levels of Russian society… We are dealing with a society whose primary source of sustenance is hatred,” the serviceman noted.
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He is convinced that “Russia is a thug country. And when you deal with a thug, they try to provoke you. So, you just turn around and walk away. There is no point in discussing anything there.”
As Ukrinform reported, Leyva Garcia stated during an Arria-formula meeting of the UN Security Council that Russian military personnel tortured him because of his name and Cuban origin.
За даними порталу: www.ukrinform.ua