Since the beginning of Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022, and until the end of October 2024, Ukraine has returned the bodies of 184 of its citizens killed in Russian captivity. Among them are 169 military and 15 civilians.
This was reported to the Media Initiative for Human Rights by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, UNN reports.
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At the same time, the headquarters emphasizes that the actual number of deaths in captivity may be much higher. During this time, the Media Initiative has documented the testimonies of 122 Ukrainian soldiers who have been in Russian captivity.
All of them told about torture, complete isolation from the outside world, and lack of medical care. Such conditions lead to critical weight loss, serious injuries and death.
The collected testimonies also contain numerous facts of deaths of prisoners of war in detention centers, mostly caused by torture.
Currently, Ukrainian soldiers who were captured in the first months of the invasion, i.e. more than 30 months, are in Russian captivity.
Russia continues to violate the Geneva Conventions by not allowing representatives of international organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, to visit prisoners and does not inform Ukraine about the health or death of detainees.
Deaths among Ukrainian prisoners of war were also recorded in the 40th report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Between March 2023 and the end of August 2024, the mission confirmed the deaths of ten military personnel and one medical worker in captivity.
Of the 169 bodies of the deceased soldiers that were returned to Ukraine, 55 belonged to those who died during the explosion in the Olenivska colony.
Recall
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets received official confirmation from the Russian Federation about the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna in captivity.
Lubinets said that Russian soldiers killed more than a hundred Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered.