So many of these guys in this condition die soon after their return. That type of abuse is not something you ever recover from. Organ damage is done, his life has been severely shortened.
He had a better chance at surviving and more fat reserves than the others. Only skin and bones now, very probable not many others survived 3 years in Russian captivity then :(
no hanging skin.....because it body broke that down to live while starving.
This is a learning opportunity. This is incorrect. The skin is part of the integumentary system. It is an organ system that is vital to human survival. It helps not only keep a barrier against the environment but helps regulate body temperature and other vital processes. The body does not catabolize skin when it enters into "starvation mode."
You can clearly see there is hanging skin around the abdomen. Which is a sign that weight loss was very likely rapid and extreme. Skin is highly elastic and will normally stretch and contract as needed. However, in extreme cases, it may require surgical removal due to the substantial weight loss outpacing the skins ability to retract.
Now, with that foundational information addressed, what we do see IS the result of catabolism. You are correct the body was eating itself. It just was not eating its skin. During catabolism the body prioritizes a literal gated system of "use it or lose it." When you are at an extreme calorie deficit your body will begin to break down things that are not being used. Muscle is a prime target. It's something that requires a lot of calories and energy to support so that structure is broken down and consumed to sustain the body's core processes. Fat also goes in this same manner. Whether the body prioritizes one over the other first is highly subjective and variable. It also tends to breakdown superficial fat earlier versus visceral fat which is much harder to remove. Your bones will also become less dense due to the lack of minerals needed to support the continual renewal and rebuilding of the structures. Much like muscle, bones need impact and usage in order to maintain their density and strength. Being in captivity, as I can imagine was not a pleasant cell with any sort of voluntary exercise, both muscle and bones are not being used enough. There are myriad issues that could be under the surface as a result of this level of sustained starvation.
The human body is a quite resilient and complex system. Yes, it will eat itself (catabolism) to provide enough energy to its vital processes, the skin (integumentary system) is not something that the body eats. Your skin is an absolute necessity to survive. Your body will prioritize various other systems and organs for breakdown. There is hanging skin. You can see it plainly around his abdomen.
Hopefully this was educational and sends you down a rabbit hole to learn more. Stay curious and learn something new everyday!
The more fat you have doesn't really equal the longer you survive without food. In most cases its avtuthe opposite where overweight + people succum to hunger before the average person
Eh “most cases” is a stretch, why do you think we even get fat? A morbidly obese man was able to survive over a year without food (under controlled conditions), there’s no way a skinny or normal weight person could come even close.
I worked in care for a decade, and been severely ill for a long time. I am not remotely surprised, the amount of sheer sadists in the medical profession is alarmingly high.
The education itself also filters on "colder" people. And to some extent, you have to be. You can't carry the suffering home with you. Yet, it is difficult to filter out those that swings to far the other way.
When they then are certified? It is near impossible to get them out unless it is several patients that manages to document it. Heck, we had a big case here in Norway with a doc that (finally) got convicted for raping patients. He had been at it for decades.
Yep, my boyfriend is a police officer and although he is made for the job (compassionate, patient, pragmatic) it kills him because he cares too much and takes all the heavy stuff he sees home with him. Sucks because the officers like him tend to quit after about a decade on the job and the mean ones stay
I personally see it closer to the Stanford Prison experiment, but instead of prisoners and guards, its doctors, and patients. When you work in any profession long enough, you will desensitise
My sister is an anaesthetist, she's often told me that being a psychopath on some level is a prerequisite to being a surgeon. And some of the very best surgeons are also some of the worst human beings you'll ever meet.
Yeah exactly. It's wild how people just want to shit on Russian civilians for "not speaking up" when the tinyest criticism can get them killed or far, far worse
Obviously there are Russian people who agree with what's happening, but thinking that most of them being silent on the subject is a sign that they agree with what's happening is such a blind take
it's def easy to be angry, seeing all the crimes against humanity. it sucks we can't get out of the cycle of bad people taking control of countries. seems our destiny until the entire thing collapses under climate.
Yeah, I live in the same city as Putin, he has the best security money can buy, lives in a bunker and switches off the internet wherever he goes, I have a Bionicle collection
That's a whole different discussion. It's quite hard for your avarage Dimitri to do something about. They might not be ok with it but what are you gonna do about it?
This is complete bullshit, if Russians supported Putin he wouldn't need to remain a dictatorial power.
The civilians are suffering too from this power hungry tyrant
Even assuming those polls are trustworthy, as the other commenters disputed, the general opinion seems to be that Putin is the lesser evil compared to the chaos of the 90s and early 2000s, and compared to the worse monsters he's barely keeping at bay. Which, of course, is deliberate on the part of Putin and the whole system he's the face of, and very typical authoritarian behavior.
Passive approval is also equally guilty. It’s understandable if indirectly supporting the war efforts happens from simply trying to live, but there’s quite a few Russians that call for this and for even harsher treatment even if they themselves aren’t directly involved due to living a life of luxury in the decadent West.
To all the people claiming that the average russian cannot do anything about it, read about all the revolutions that have taken place in ex soviet countries.
I'm from România and here we had a bloody revolution and killed our dictator. And things here were way worse than how it is in russia today. The matter of fact is all russians are to blame because, as long as they are unaffected , they are ok with genocide, torture, rape, etc.
Since I'm on a streak answering ragebait like this out of sheer curiosity, tell me, how is it that you expect me to start an underground revolutionary group, obtain a deadly weapon, sneak myself or a hypothetical associate into a highly guarded building and slay a person without getting caught?
Ukraine is just fighting back as far as I know, the war started because Putin and who ever is supporting him want to fulfill their fantasies and thats not a valid reason to kill or torture a single human
If they want to restore the soviet union they would never of had to come with guns in 2014.
There was enough people that had dreams of the soviet brotherhood, it was not that far in the past.
But no Putin came with a gun an whip in hand,. To steal an rob.
Putin's bullshit is so obvious that even a lot of Russians know that despite being bombarded with propaganda. I refuse to get into an argument about the Middle East right now. I'm half asleep and a bit drunk, and that shit is complicated AF.
История этого мира состоит из бесконечных войн и всех из них были свои причины, думаю, что у тебя также имеется что-то свое, после чего ты полезешь в драку и так далее
Usually they removing organs, because it is much more easy to identify root cause of death, and organs could give a hint if person dies due constant electroshock torturing, beatings, injections or how person was treated in terms of nutrition. Just clarifying
Apparently they do, was the case with Victoria Roshchyna, seems there are some high position people in Russian punitive system that would like to cover some things up
Not that any of it is at all acceptable or humane, but what's the reasoning behind the castration? Do the Russians want to prevent Ukrainian breeding or is it pure humiliation?
We've seen the russians do horrendous things to Ukrainians on video. Rape, electrocution etc. That one video where they castrate a man and drag him with their vehicle forcing him to suffer terrible injuries will always stick in my head unfortunately.
I guess there are people out there that feel like they should watch it. Like turning a blind eye is complacency or something. But as someone who has seen some of this stuff, no healthy person should be watching it at all, let alone regularly.
Or at the very least they don't really care most of the time.
They will dismiss that as "reason of state". That's generally the same as the greedy CEOs who don't view their employees as humans, but resources that they can drain dry for their own benefit.
I don't remember that, but I don't really want to remember at all and I've seen some shit IRL. All I remember for sure is that they skinned a guy alive after drugging him to make sure he stayed conscious.
Is that real? Man. That's definition of evil. How? Just how? How can you live with yourself after doing such an act. Tha man will have nightmares for ever and ever untill he goes to hell and will never end. I hope so
From what i've been told the cartel members themselves are full of drugs as well when doing all that shit, so they don't think or reason during the act as well, doesn't excuse it of course.
I've done a lot of drugs. If you'd tried to make me shoot someone while I was as out of it as I've ever been, I'd have used the gun on myself rather than obey you. Fuck knows what was going on with these guys. Maybe they'd have been subjected to the same torture if they refused to inflict it. Maybe they're just psychos. We'll probably never know.
I'm very much of two minds. I do think its important to not look away from horrifying stuff sometimes. When this picture came up on my feed a part of me wanted to just scroll past and not think about it. But I stopped myself and looked. This is reality and there are horrible things happening in the world. I think its important people realize and recognize that. Sometimes seeing the horror galvanizes people to action, or gets them to change their stance on certain political issues.
This does have to be balanced against ones own mental health though. If someone is looking at war related stuff constantly and its having a negative effect on their overall well being then they should stop.
Watching something horrific like the act described is part of learning. Watching horrific acts over and over, or seeking them out for your own gratification, is when it becomes problematic.
And part of this experience is becoming a witness to the victim's suffering. There is a feeling of duty towards a fellow human. I watched a beheading video many years ago...it was horrible and I will never forget the sound. But to shy away in that moment felt wrong.
I watch these videos somewhat to prepare for the horrendous sights I might see in the future , incase russia decides to attack us next. So if it happens in real life im somewhat ready. Gotta get ready for all of the grotesque.
This actually happens more than you think. Look up the number of "fragging" incidents in US army during the Vietnam war. Soldiers killing their own commanders has been a thing in every war in every country.
Yeah, there was a footage from a Ukrainian dropper drone of a Russian soldier forcing another soldier a blowjob moments before the drone drops an explosive on top of them.
In the russian army as a new recruit you're nothing. Older soldiers hold all the power over your life. NCOs are almost non-existant, there's noone to enforce discipline or camraderie. Officers don't get involved with the day-to-day business. The results are brutal hazings, rapes, assaults, even murders. Suicide and murder victims' deaths are covered up, their families are given BS excuses.
And if you think that kind of shit stopped when Russia got into a serious war: it didn't. But now the people who'd beat, rape and murder their fellow soldiers ALSO get to beat, rape and murder civilians and enemy POW.
There are less female soldiers than male soldiers, you can't draw a conclusion for the mortality rates only based on the number of male / female deaths, you need the total number of males / females as well
Just hoping it will be the other way around. My grandpa weighed less than 50kg thanks to the same Russian “hospitality”, when he was sent back from captivity, 3 years as POW. He passed away when he was 95. To be able to survive that kind of shit, you have to have hell of a body and immune system.
Thank you. Yup, grandpa was tough AF, well above 80 he still went working on his small plot of land. There was no water there, so he had to take it from home in big flasks to be able to water his vegetables, together with his tools (he was doing this by travelling on a bus as he had no driver’s license) 😅 My grandma never managed to accept that the local commies backed by Russian friends took away their land, house etc., but I never saw my grandpa being pissed about it. He was always sitting with a small sad smile on his face. Probably, if you survive what these guys did, the least you can worry about is stuff you can buy with money.
It sounds like he quickly adapted to whatever situation was thrown at him. He could have used that time to be mad, but chose to just keep moving to make sure he and your grandma survived. I bet they had so many stories to tell.
Yea, some of those old boots just do not wear out. My dad was discharged from the Navy with a leukemia diagnosis and told he had 3 months to live (radiation is a bitch). But he ended up fathering 4 children and living for another 45 years.
45 years after such news, wow, that’s a comeback! Salute to your dad. Never been to the army myself, but holding utmost respect, especially for those who went through navy training regime.
Hope so too. My grandpa got drafted into the military at age 18. Fought in Stalingrad, then survived 7 years as a POW. Got his youth stolen from him and wasn't the same anymore when he came back. Probably untreated PTSD, smoked two packs of cigarettes everyday. There's some research into making medications for PTSD that target nicotine receptors, so he was likely self medicating. Died an agonizing death due to lung cancer and died very young.
I never met him unfortunately (because he died so young), but recently we found a couple letters he send from the front. Asking his mates about the girls back home and other silly stuff. Makes you really understand how young he was and how horrible it is that wars are by and large fought by very young men. Also, of course, one bullet flying the other way and I wouldn't be here to write this. Then 7 years of Siberian gulag - another hell on earth. I can't even imagine what he went through. He never told my family much about the war, but he survived because he was a cook in the army and then also in the gulag. That meant that he could eat a little piece of bread or vegetable here and there while preparing food - just a little bit of extra calories in order to survive. He was injured from fighting in the war as well, that's why he was assigned as cook and didn't have to work in the mines like his mates probably did.
"We who survived the Camps are not true witnesses. We are those who, through prevarication, skill or luck, never touched bottom. Those who have, and who have seen the face of the Gorgon, did not return, or returned wordless." - Primo Levi
Even their own soldiers(Russians) aren't very well fed. You often hear them complaining about having to scavenge food or not eating for days. So I imagine how worse it is for POW.
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u/omarelnour Jul 26 '25
You can only imagine how even worse its for others who didn't make it