The latest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, which resulted in the return of 185 service members and one civilian, has once again drawn attention to the scale of the problem of unlawful detention of Ukrainian citizens in Russia and in territories occupied by it. Despite regular exchanges, thousands of people remain in captivity, while international organizations and human rights advocates increasingly describe Russia’s violations of international humanitarian law as systematic.
According to data released by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, approximately 7,000 Ukrainian service members are currently being held in Russian captivity. The number of unlawfully detained civilians is estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000 people. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine has succeeded in bringing home more than 9,000 of its citizens, most of them military personnel.
However, even after returning home, many former prisoners describe torture, cruel treatment, psychological pressure, and the denial of adequate medical care. According to estimates by Ukrainian officials and human rights organizations, more than 95 percent of Ukrainian prisoners of war experience some form of torture or inhuman treatment while in Russian captivity. These are not isolated incidents involving individual guards but rather practices that appear to be systemic.
Among the most frequently reported abuses are severe beatings, electric shocks, prolonged detention in overcrowded facilities, sleep deprivation, insufficient food, denial of medical assistance, and psychological abuse. Many released prisoners return home having lost significant weight and suffering from untreated injuries and chronic illnesses acquired during captivity.
The death toll among Ukrainian prisoners of war remains another serious concern. According to official data, at least 206 Ukrainian service members have died while in Russian captivity since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In addition, Ukrainian law enforcement authorities continue to document cases in which Ukrainian soldiers were executed while surrendering or after being taken prisoner. To date, more than 330 such cases have been officially recorded. These incidents may constitute war crimes and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
Additional evidence of the scale of abuses can be seen in the repatriation of human remains. Since the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine has recovered and repatriated more than 20,000 bodies and remains of fallen service members. According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 375 of the returned bodies showed signs of torture or other forms of ill-treatment.
Civilian Hostages Beyond the Protection of International Law
While the status of prisoners of war is regulated by the Third Geneva Convention, the situation of civilians is even more alarming. International humanitarian law explicitly prohibits the arbitrary detention of civilians during armed conflicts. The Fourth Geneva Convention provides special protections for civilians and strictly limits the authority of an occupying power to detain them.
Despite these obligations, the Russian Federation has continued the practice of mass detention of Ukrainian civilians throughout the war. Those held include local government officials, journalists, volunteers, civil society activists, veterans, former military personnel, and ordinary residents of occupied territories. In many cases, no reason for detention is provided, and families are left without information regarding the whereabouts of their relatives for extended periods.
Unlike prisoners of war, civilians are far less likely to be included in exchange mechanisms. Russia frequently refuses to acknowledge their detention or excludes them from negotiations concerning exchanges. As a result, the number of civilians remaining in captivity continues to grow.
Human rights organizations have also documented numerous cases of torture involving civilian detainees. Former captives report beatings, mock executions, sexual violence, prolonged solitary confinement, and forced confessions. Such actions violate not only the Geneva Conventions but also the United Nations Convention against Torture, to which the Russian Federation is a party.
From a Humanitarian Crisis to a Question of International Accountability
The mass detention of Ukrainian military personnel and civilians, widespread reports of torture, deaths in captivity, and the execution of prisoners of war constitute one of the most serious humanitarian crises associated with Russia’s war against Ukraine. Human rights organizations argue that these are not isolated violations but rather evidence of a broader policy characterized by systematic disregard for international humanitarian law.
Under these circumstances, one of the key responsibilities of the international community is to strengthen monitoring of detention conditions, ensure unrestricted access for international monitoring missions to places of detention, and hold those responsible accountable for war crimes. For thousands of Ukrainian families, however, the primary concern remains not legal accountability but the return home of their loved ones, who continue to be held in Russian captivity.