Russia continues to blatantly violate international humanitarian law by systematically concealing the true condition of Ukrainian prisoners of war. According to an independent OSCE expert mission recently presented in Vienna, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) does not have full access to places where Ukrainians are held, whether in Russian prisons or in temporarily occupied territories.
Members of the mission report that Russian authorities only allow visits to prisoners who are in satisfactory condition. The sick, wounded, or those who have been tortured are deliberately hidden from international observers. Professor Hervé Ascensio noted that all ICRC visits are strictly controlled by Russia, even though under the Geneva Conventions, the Red Cross has the right to free and independent access to all prisoners.
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General statistics and analysis of the current situation
The aggression of the Russian Federation, which began back in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and military operations in the east of Ukraine, and turned into a full-scale war in February 2022, led to the fact that during this time a significant number of Ukrainian military personnel and civilians ended up in Russian captivity.
Since fighting in eastern Ukraine in 2014, especially in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, dozens of Ukrainian soldiers have been captured by Russian-backed separatists. According to reports by human rights organizations, from 2014 to 2021, more than 1,500 military personnel and civilians were abducted and captured. Following Russia's annexation of Crimea, Ukrainian military personnel who remained on the peninsula became the target of arrests and illegal detention. According to human rights activists, about 10% of Ukrainian soldiers who served in Crimea were detained by Russian troops and captured.
According to the data of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as of the beginning of August 2024, about 20,000 Ukrainian servicemen and civilians are in Russian captivity. These data indicate systemic violations of human rights that require an urgent international response.
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The escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023 became one of the most destructive events in the region in recent decades. Large-scale attacks by both sides led to significant civilian casualties and violations of the rights of prisoners of war. Both Palestinian and Israeli civilians became victims of violence and gross human rights violations. The summary data examines the key aspects of the conflict, including hostage-taking, humanitarian crises, and human rights violations with corresponding statistics.
During the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, which occurred amid a brutal assault by Hamas terrorists on Israel, the death toll was 1,139: 695 Israeli civilians (including 38 children), 71 foreign citizens, and 373 security personnel. These figures were published in December 2023 using social security data. Another 251 people were taken hostage during the initial attack on Israel in the Gaza Strip. Another 479 Palestinians, including 116 children, and 9 Israelis were killed in the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem). Additionally, five people are considered missing, including four Israelis.