Experts have warned that Russian tyrant Putin is sending a message to all of his enemies by torturing the Moscow terror suspects.
After they were suspected of carrying out the bloodiest terrorist act to strike Russia in 20 years, four shooters were taken into custody on Saturday.
By showing off his ruthless torture tactics, the ageing despot wants to highlight that Russia is "different from the West" and a cruel punishment awaits those who cross him.
Did you read this?
In an image that was leaked, a man identified as Shamsuddin Fariddun is shown gritting his teeth in agony and having wires put to his groin.
In a graphic video, Rachabalizoda, another terror suspect, is seen having his ear severed and fed to him by Russian forces.
Gruesome footage shows the terror suspects being physically tortured with one horrifying photo of a man receiving electric shocks to his genitals as he foams at the mouth.
In another grim picture, a man had his ear cut off which was then force-fed back to him.
As reported by The Sun, Dr Stephen Hall, lecturer in Russian and post-Soviet politics at the University of Bath explains that Putin's torture techniques aim "to highlight what people should expect if they are arrested for terror in Russia".
He told The Sun the barbaric approach is nothing new in Russia but that they were brandished with "brazenness" in court yesterday as the suspects appeared in glass cages badly beaten and bruised.
"It's absolutely not something that's new to Russia, I mean, the Soviet Union was doing this beforehand, and other countries in fairness, torture, their suspects as well," he said.
It's just the brazenness by which these people were shown, walk it going into the Basmanny district court in Moscow and the fact that they [had] so clearly been tortured
Dr Stephen Hall
"It's just the brazenness by which these people were shown, walk it going into the Basmanny district court in Moscow and the fact that they [had] so clearly been tortured."
He explains that the graphic footage of their torture has emerged in order to highlight that "Russia is different."
He added: "It also highlights where Russia has gone in terms of the election results as well that it's moving away from Western standards and trying to unequivocally show that Russia is not part of the West.
"And also the fact that they now are willing to show torturing victims, whereas in the past that someone may appear at court with a black eye, and the judge was told that they'd fallen down the stairs, or... while being arrested, they tried to run away.
To behave like this with prisoners and to release this information to the public, for them this is the new normality… that it's fine to cut pieces of the body
Dr Yuri Felshtinsky
"Now they appear in court with, I think one of them had a plastic bag around his neck - the idea that he'd been asphyxiated.
"So there's been plenty of torture in terms of one being brought in on a hospital gurney, one with the obligatory black eye, but also probably a broken nose as well.
"I think they're just highlighting that Russia is different."
Russia's 'new normal'
Dr Yuri Felshtinsky, author of “Blowing up Russia" with Alexander Litvinenko, told The Sun the barbaric torture is more than a message, and is Russia's "new normal".
“I'm afraid this is not a message. I'm afraid this is a new normality. Military personnel think that it's normal to do this with prisoners.
“To behave like this with prisoners and to release this information to the public, for them this is the new normality… that it's fine to cut pieces of the body.
