At least 177 Ukrainian prisoners have died in Russian captivity since the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion, said Victoria Tsymbaliuk, a representative of the Ukrainian Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs).
According to Tsymbaliuk, due to the lack of international oversight, the real number of deaths in Russian prisons could be much higher. Most Ukrainian soldiers who were released had never been visited by the Red Cross representatives while in Russian captivity, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in July.
Russia refuses to confirm the captivity or whereabouts of thousands of Ukrainian POWs, the representative added.
"Of course, not all the bodies are returned and many are not even confirmed by Russia as being in captivity," Tsymbaliuk said.
There have been multiple reports of Ukrainian POWs being tortured or killed while in Russian captivity. As of September, the Prosecutor General's Office said criminal investigations were underway regarding the execution of 84 Ukrainian POWs.
Sixteen more POWs appeared to have been shot by Russian forces after surrendering on the front line near Pokrovsk, the prosecutors said on Oct. 1. This is the largest recorded case of mass execution of surrendered soldiers on the battlefield.
Ukraine and Russia conducted 57 prisoner exchange since the outbreak of the full-scale war.
A total of 3,672 Ukrainians have been brought back from Russian captivity. Kyiv aims to conduct an all-for-all prisoner exchange, which was one of the subjects at Ukraine's peace summit in Switzerland in mid-June.
Andrea Januta
