On August 22, 2025, Russian media, including the Telegram channel of the state agency TASS, published information claiming that around 6,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war are being held on the territory of the Russian Federation.
This figure raises doubts, given previous data and context. Back in May 2025, the Russian side itself reported more than 8,000 Ukrainian POWs, as well as about 2,000 civilian hostages being held in custody. This dynamic — a decrease in the total number of prisoners — lacks clear explanations, which may indicate a manipulative nature of the publication.
Experts point out that the real number of Ukrainian prisoners could be significantly higher than what Russia claims. In particular, during exchanges with the Russian side, it is often revealed that up to 20% of those released were not even listed in official prisoner records. This highlights a lack of transparency on Russia's part and the potential concealment of the true scale of human rights violations.
As of June 13, 2025, over 70,000 people are listed in the Register of Missing Persons Under Special Circumstances. These include military personnel, Ukrainian civilians, and foreigners who were legally present in the country. Among them are 2,470 children whose whereabouts remain unknown.
According to official data, as of August 14, 2025, more than 6,000 Ukrainian citizens have been returned home since the start of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. However, this represents only a small fraction of the total number of missing and captured individuals.
Thus, the publication by Russian sources regarding the number of Ukrainian POWs appears not only incomplete but also potentially intended as an information manipulation, understating the real scale of the problem. Given the closed nature of the Russian penitentiary system and the numerous documented violations of international humanitarian law, reliable data can only be obtained through independent monitoring and international pressure. Ukraine continues to work toward the return of every one of its citizens and insists on transparency in the exchange process and thorough investigation of all cases of enforced disappearances.