Human rights activists: 184 Ukrainians die in Russian captivity since start of full-scale invasion
From February 24, 2022 to the end of October 2024, 184 bodies of Ukrainians killed in captivity were returned to Ukraine, including 169 military personnel and 15 civilians, the Media Initiative for Human Rights said with reference to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
"From February 24, 2022 to the end of October 2024, 184 bodies of Ukrainians killed in captivity were returned to Ukraine. Among them, 169 military personnel and 15 civilians. The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War informed the Media Initiative for Human Rights about this. At the same time, we assume that the number of dead prisoners is significantly higher," the Media Initiative said on its website on Monday.
It is also noted that among the 169 bodies of military personnel killed in captivity that were returned to Ukraine, in particular, 55 of those who died in the explosions in the Olenivka colony.
It is reported that since February 24, 2022, the MIHR has documented the testimonies of 122 Defenders of Ukraine who were in Russian captivity. The collected testimonies speak of systematic torture, isolation from the outside world, and denial of proper medical care. As a result, Ukrainian prisoners are critically losing weight and receiving serious injuries. The Media Initiative for Human Rights documentarians have also collected many testimonies of death of prisoners of war in places of confinement. They are mainly caused by torture.
"There are still many defenders in Russian captivity who have been there since the first months of the great war, that is, more than 30 months. Russia does not allow representatives of monitoring missions, in particular the International Committee of the Red Cross, to see them, and does not inform Ukraine about the deterioration of health or death of prisoners. All of these are gross violations of the Geneva Conventions," the Media Initiative for Human Rights said in the report.
The Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) was founded in 2016 with the aim of conducting journalistic investigations into human rights violations. Currently, the IHR documents human rights violations due to Russia's armed aggression.