Bartlomiej Wojtowicz / EPA
Amnesty International has reported that “tens of thousands” of both military and civilians will be currently detained in captivity in Russia and occupied Ukraine – without notification to the competent authorities.
In a report released on Tuesday, amnesty International (AI) reported that the Russia Since the invasion of Ukraine has been subjected to prisoners of war and Ukrainian civilians to “inhuman treatments” such as torture or forced disappearance, which constitute Crimes of War.
The Human Rights Defense Organization documents as Ukrainian War and Ukrainian Civil Prisoners in Russia since the Ukraine invasion of February 2022 has been deliberately isolated from the outside world for years.
The AI report is based on interviews with 104 people in Ukraine between January and November 2024, including five former Ukrainian prisoners, relatives of 38 war prisoners, family members of 23 missing Ukrainians, 28 previously detained civilians and ten Russian prisoners currently detained in Ukraine.
“Systemic detention under incidents of Ukrainian prisoners and Ukrainian civilian prisoners reflects a deliberate policy designed to dehumanize and silence themleaving their families in agony waiting for news about their loved ones, ”said AI Secretary-General, Agnès Callamard.
According to the same responsible, torture takes place in complete isolation from the outside world, and the victims are “entirely at the mercy of their captors to survive.”
“Tens of thousands” in captivity
According to AI, tens of thousands of Ukrainians, both military and civilians, are likely to be currently detained in captivity in Russia and busy Ukraine, unaware of their exact number.
“Many will be detained, while others may have been killed”say you have.
Russian authorities, AI, have denied the access of international organizations to these prisoners, within the scope of a deliberate policy that aims to place prisoners of war outside the protection of international law.
AI mentions several cases of forced disappearances, such as that of Khrystyna Makarchuk’s husband, Volodymyrwhich was shown on Russian television to tell how it was captured, and whose captivity was confirmed by another Ukrainian military man, without Russia having to date confirmed the detention.
Civilians, they also represent “a considerable number of people who believe they are being victims of forced disappearance.”
“Russia has long resorted to arbitrary detention, torture and forced disappearance to intimidate the civilian population in the areas they control. These acts constitute crimes against humanity, ”says AI, who collected several reports of torture and refusal of medical treatment in Russian captivity.
Russia’s actions “violate Geneva Conventions”, which guarantee prisoners of war the right to regular correspondence, access to medical care and visits from international organizations.
AI appeals to Russia to end inhuman treatments and notify the competent authorities of the statute of all their prisoners of war and allow access without obstacles to humanitarian organizations to prisoners, as well as directly repacting seriously sick and injured war prisoners.
