In its report on Russia's crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war, OSCE experts state the widespread and systematic use of torture and ill-treatment. Approximately 169 Ukrainian servicemen died in captivity. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on the international community to consolidate efforts to ensure the exchange of prisoners of war based on the principle of "all for all," UNN reports.
OSCE experts' report
The report prepared by the independent mission of experts of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism is a comprehensive international document dedicated to the systematic crimes of the aggressor state against Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine notes that an additional proof of the Russian Federation's responsibility for these crimes is its refusal to cooperate with the mission of independent OSCE experts.
The mission established in its report that the practice of treating Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russian Federation:
- is massive and systemic, accompanied by consistent and deliberate actions directed against the defenders of Ukraine;
- may constitute the war crime of "unlawful treatment of prisoners of war" and the crime against humanity of "imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental norms of international law."
The mission also found numerous gross violations of international humanitarian law and human rights:
- widespread and systematic use of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including sexual violence;
- arbitrary executions and killings of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including after surrender;
- deliberate failure to provide adequate food, medical care, and basic detention conditions, leading to deaths in places of detention;
- use of prisoners of war for propaganda, coercion to cooperate, and so-called "trials" in violation of Geneva Convention III.
The OSCE report notes that the mission faced significant difficulties due to a lack of transparency and Russia's refusal to cooperate. Ukrainian prisoners of war are held in many locations in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which remain largely inaccessible.
Despite these limitations, an estimated 13,500 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been detained since February 2022. Of these, approximately 169 died in captivity, almost 6,800 were released and repatriated, and approximately 6,300 remain in custody.
It is also reported that the OSCE mission found violations in the release and repatriation of prisoners of war. Russia initially did not prioritize seriously ill or wounded prisoners of war and did not establish mixed medical commissions for their release. The movement of prisoners of war often takes place in dangerous, inhumane conditions, sometimes leading to injuries or death, including during air or ground transportation.
A particularly egregious case is the Olenivka correctional colony, where systemic violations occurred, including overcrowding, torture, inadequate nutrition and medical care, and forced labor. In July 2022, an explosion in the barracks killed 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war and injured more than 100, mostly from the Azov battalion. The accounts of survivors indicate Russia's responsibility for these incidents, reflecting a pattern of neglect and deliberate endangerment of prisoners of war.
Ukraine's reaction to the OSCE report
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine notes that the conclusions of the Report can be used within national and international mechanisms for bringing to justice the war criminals of the aggressor state.
Ukraine calls on the international community to actively disseminate and use the Mission's conclusions, as well as to further consolidate efforts to stop the criminal practice of the Russian Federation against Ukrainian prisoners of war and ensure their immediate exchange on the principle of "all for all"
It is emphasized that all perpetrators, organizers, and executors of war crimes and crimes against humanity must be brought to justice.