Inside the Narowlya camp: Russian war crimes in Belarus uncovered
An investigation by journalists from Radio Svoboda has uncovered the exact location of a filtration camp in the Belarusian town of Narowlya, where the Russian military detained and tortured Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians, including children.
Journalists from Radio Svoboda's "Schemes" project, in collaboration with the Belarusian Investigative Center and the groups The Reckoning Project and Cyber Partisans, identified the site where Russian forces established a filtration camp in the spring of 2022 used for the illegal detention of Ukrainians.
The camp was located on the premises of the state enterprise Pripyat Alliance in Narowla, overseen by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The location was confirmed through an analysis of video footage and satellite images.
According to survivors' accounts, detainees were subjected to interrogations and beatings, and recordings featuring them were used in Russian propaganda films. Human rights defenders describe this camp as one of the cruelest in terms of the treatment of prisoners.
Ukrainian soldiers were tortured in Belarus
Some Ukrainians who went through the camp in Narowlya are still in Russian captivity, including in penal colonies. Upon release, they only mentioned that the place resembled a "collective farm," without knowing the precise location.
The investigation also released footage found in the Kyiv region from a Russian soldier's camera, showing a column of troops entering Ukraine from Belarus on 24 February 2022, near Chernobyl. These soldiers later appeared in propaganda materials from the camp in Narowla.
As reported by Radio Svoboda, the investigation provides new insights into the actions of Russian forces on Belarusian territory during the invasion of Ukraine. The Polish Press Agency reports that the disclosed information may serve as evidence in future proceedings related to war crimes.
