Russia has illegally deported 17,000 Ukrainian prisoners from the occupied territories
The Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY) has documented the forced and illegal transfer of 17,000 Ukrainian prisoners from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. Human rights activists are calling for this evidence to be immediately submitted to international courts to hold those responsible to account.
This was stated by the organization’s Executive Director, Rasmus Grue Christensen, during the presentation of the advocacy report “Deportation to Hell” at the Ukrinform news agency.
According to the study, deported Ukrainians endured inhumane conditions during transport, systematic violence, complete isolation from their families, and brutal violations of human dignity. Christensen emphasized that torture, intimidation, and deportation are not isolated incidents but are deliberate elements of the Russian Federation’s systematic occupation policy.
A distinctive feature of this report is its focus on a category of citizens who previously received almost no proper attention from society:
Legal status: this refers to Ukrainians who were serving sentences in Ukrainian prisons and found themselves under occupation. They are civilians, not prisoners of war, and are therefore fully protected under international humanitarian law.
Inviolability of rights: Having a criminal record under Ukrainian law in no way deprives these people of their human rights and does not give the occupiers any right to mistreatment or deportation.
Human rights defenders warn that impunity for such crimes paves the way for new violations in the future. The head of DIGNITY concluded that the regions occupied by Russia must not become legal “black holes.” The organization plans to continue providing comprehensive support to affected Ukrainians on their path to restoring justice and to ensure that their testimonies become an integral part of future international tribunals against the aggressor.
The EU has expanded sanctions against Russia for the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Panama, Switzerland, and Cyprus have officially joined the international coalition to rescue deported minors. The coalition now comprises 46 countries and three international organizations, underscoring the global attention to Russia’s crimes.
