Around 25,000 Ukrainian citizens can be considered missing in special circumstances, that is civilian hostages in Russian captivity, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has said.

"As for civilian captives, according to my information, around 25,000 Ukrainian citizens can be considered missing in special circumstances. Our situation does not change, it is extremely terrible: Russians in fact detain civilians in the temporarily occupied territories every day, thus adding them to the list," he told the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency at a press conference on Thursday.

The ombudsman said the situation remains unchanged also with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk who who has been in captivity for more than one year and a half after he was abducted by Russian military in the village of Kozarovychi, Vyshgorod district, Kyiv region approximately on March 4, 2022.

"It is impossible to officially receive information about his whereabouts, his condition and what is going on with him. The Russian side does not provide such information to either me or other international organizations or intermediaries involved by us," Lubinets said.