Ukrainian forces discover Russian 'torture chamber' in recently liberated town

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of carrying out "blatant genocide" in the recently liberated Balakliya town in the Kharkiv oblast. The officials claimed that they discovered a "torture chamber" used by Russian troops to hold Ukrainian citizens.

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry took to Twitter to post a picture of what they claimed to be a torture chamber.

"Russian torture chamber in liberated Balakliya. The Lord's Prayer was carved on the wall by Ukrainian prisoners. Russia must be held accountable for this blatant genocide," read the tweet posted with a picture of a dark room.

The Telegraph reported that Ukrainian officials showed them bloodstains and straps hanging from the ceiling in the room as evidence.

A Balakliya resident told the publication that Russian troops held him at a police station for 40 days and tortured him with electrocution. The man identified only as Artem said that he was tortured because Russian soldiers found a photo of his brother in uniform.

"I was taken from the street because they searched my apartment and they found a picture of my brother, and my brother is a soldier in the army, so they decided I had something to do with the army too," said Artem.

Artem is not the only one who has come forward to share the story of his ordeal. Several people have come forward to give an account of what they saw during the long months of Russian occupation.

A school principal called Tatiana said that she was also held in the police station for three days where she heard screams coming out of other cells.

The Russians seized Balakliya in early March. It was liberated just a few days ago with the help of the Ukrainian Special Forces.

It is not the first time that Ukraine has accused Russia of war crimes by targeting civilians. But Russia has maintained that its troops have not committed war crimes.

Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died since the Russian invasion began in February, while thousands of others are living with no basic amenities. However, Russia has made it clear that its "special military operation" will continue until it reaches its intended goal.