How many Ukrainians died in Russian captivity: the Defense Ministry has released figures

It is noted that due to the lack of international oversight, the real death toll is most likely much higher.

At least 177 Ukrainian prisoners have died in Russian captivity since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Politico reports , citing data from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

At the same time, according to Victoria Tsymbalyuk, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War of the Ministry of Defense, due to the lack of international oversight, the real number of deaths is most likely much higher, since not all bodies are returned, and many are not even confirmed by Russia as being in captivity:

“The more time they spend in Russian prisons, the closer they are to death.”

As a result of prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kyiv, about 3,600 Ukrainian prisoners of war and deported citizens were returned. However, thousands of them are still in Russian prisons, the newspaper notes.

According to a report published earlier by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, torture of captured soldiers was “widespread and systematic” and took place with the blessing of the Russian leadership.

The report’s authors added that 11 deaths of Ukrainians had been recorded since March 2023, as well as an unknown number of suicide attempts and “one documented case of suicide, presumably due to repeated torture.”

(c)UNIAN 2024