Over 16,000 Ukrainian civilians held captive in Russia – Ukraine's ombudsman

More than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians are currently held in Russian captivity, with only 168 of them having been released so far.

Source: Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, as reported by Ukrinform

Details:  Lubinets stated that  "Ukraine has a specific list with early data indicating that over 16,000 Ukrainian civilians are being held in Russian prisons".

He reiterated that the exchange of civilian detainees for prisoners of war is not covered under international humanitarian law or the Geneva Conventions.

Quote: "This exchange procedure is strictly for prisoners of war, yet we have managed to free 168 civilians. It’s a small number, but there is a mechanism that enables us to achieve this.

The Ukrainian side and the negotiating team are doing everything possible to bring back all captives from Russian prisons, including journalists." 

More details: The Ombudsman stated that there is a separate list of journalists being held captive by Russian forces. He stressed that Russians use torture and murder against journalists to "silence media representatives in temporarily occupied territories."

Lubinets drew particular attention to the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in captivity.

Quote: "The Russian side officially informed her father and even sent a death certificate. On the other hand, when I raised the issue of returning her body for proper burial, we have been in the process of consultations ever since."

Background: Earlier, Olga Skrypnyk, Head of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group, reported that as of December 2024, 301 Ukrainian women are in Russian captivity. At least 25 were detained before the full-scale invasion, and 276 were imprisoned after it began.

Support UP or become our patron!