Lubinec presented a project on Russian war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, presented the project “Made in Russia. Taken Captive,” which focuses on Russia’s war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The ombudsman announced this on Telegram.
According to Lubinets, the project highlights “Russia’s main export product—war crimes.” It focuses particularly on Ukrainian prisoners of war who, he says, are under the full control of the aggressor state and often remain inaccessible to international organizations.
The project’s materials note that at least 206 Ukrainian prisoners of war have died in Russian prisons. Most of the repatriated bodies, it is claimed, show signs of physical violence, denial of medical care, and starvation.
The report also addresses the systematic executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Cases of direct orders to kill prisoners have been documented, which, according to the authors, are confirmed by intercepted communications and eyewitness accounts. In total, 337 Ukrainian prisoners of war are reported to have been executed by Russian military personnel.
Lubinec emphasized that the international community must increase pressure on Russia and ensure that international organizations have access to prisoner detention sites.
“It is time to impose an embargo on Russia’s war crimes. Ukrainian prisoners of war must be released. The ICRC must be granted full access to all detention sites. Those guilty of war crimes must be held accountable,” the ombudsman stated.
The report also includes testimonies from former Ukrainian prisoners of war describing their conditions of detention and instances of ill-treatment, which, according to the authors, confirm the systematic nature of violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation.
As a reminder, Ukraine states that it has fully completed preparations for a large-scale prisoner exchange in the “1,000 for 1,000” format and submitted all necessary lists long ago, but the actual process is stalling due to delays on Russia’s part. Kyiv emphasizes that the priority remains those who are seriously wounded, seriously ill, and military personnel who have been in captivity since 2022.
