Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said that there are currently 28,000 civilian Ukrainians in Russian captivity. Nothing is known about their condition and whereabouts, as the occupiers forbid them to write even letters. Dmytro Lubinets said this during his speech at the international conference on human rights "Freedom or Fear".
The Ombudsman noted that Ukrainians are in serious condition after returning home. Lubinets described the conditions of both civilian and military prisoners.
Those who were held in Russian captivity lose tens of kilograms of weight, are in critical condition and undergo rehabilitation for a long time. Eyewitnesses who were captured and returned say that Russians feed prisoners with something similar to dyed water.
"The largest officially recorded weight loss of a person during the five months of Russian captivity is 77 kilograms," Lubinets said.
Currently, the Ukrainian side is unable to find out where its citizens are and establish their exact number.
The Ministry of Reintegration reported that Russia is holding 4,337 Ukrainians in captivity. Most of them are military personnel.
The Ombudsman's Office said that the exchange of Ukrainian prisoners is hampered by the Russian side's reluctance to return its own citizens.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War stated that Russia does not provide information about the places and conditions of detention of Ukrainian prisoners. Also, nothing is known about their health status.