UN: Over 16,000 civilians still held by Russia in Ukraine war
UN estimates over 16,000 civilians remain detained by Russia, with widespread torture reported.
The United Nations estimates that more than 16,000 civilians detained by Russia during its war in Ukraine remain deprived of their liberty, many held incommunicado and on grounds that do not comply with international law.
Claudia Fuentes Julio, the UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, told an informal Security Council meeting on Monday that "widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment" of both Ukrainian civilian detainees and prisoners of war by Russia is continuing, including sexual violence.
The meeting, called by Latvia and the UK, heard accounts from released detainees. UN human rights staff have interviewed 910 Ukrainian prisoners of war and 403 civilian detainees since the invasion began in February 2022. More than 95% of the POWs and 85% of civilian detainees reported being tortured or ill-treated, often repeatedly, with reports of sexual attacks, food deprivation, and inadequate medical care.
The UN has documented the execution of 129 Ukrainian POWs at the start of their captivity and the deaths of 48 others in custody due to torture, denial of medical care, or inhumane conditions.
The council also heard from Khuan Leyva Garsiya, a Ukrainian soldier held for 1,183 days after the Azovstal steel plant siege. He described being beaten, electrocuted, and sexually abused, and said two friends were beaten to death in detention centers in the Donetsk region. Another witness, Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova, described being moved through seven facilities over six months on fabricated charges, calling it "a carousel of repression."
UN experts also interviewed 816 Russian and 57 third-country POWs, about half of whom reported torture or ill-treatment, mainly during initial stages of captivity by Ukrainians. Conditions in Ukrainian detention facilities generally comply with international law, the UN said.
Russia's deputy UN ambassador rejected the allegations as a "disinformation campaign," while Ukraine's envoy noted Russia's reluctance to discuss prisoner exchanges, including its own POWs.