Over 16,000 Ukrainian civilians may be in Russian captivity, said Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. during the International Human Rights Conference, "The Decade 2014–2024: Reclaiming Human Rights. Preserving Democracy."
According to him, the actual number could be significantly higher, as data from temporarily occupied territories is unavailable.
“They detain all former military personnel, law enforcement officers, and judges. Some are released after a week of torture, while others remain imprisoned. The number will be much higher once we liberate all Ukrainian territories,“ Lubinets said.
During the same conference, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that as of December 2024, at least 6 Ukrainian mayors and community leaders remain in Russian captivity.
Earlier, on December 4, the Governor of the Zaporizhzhia region reported that the mayor of the temporarily occupied city of Dniprorudne in Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Matvieiev, who was abducted by Russian forces over 2 years ago, was tortured while in captivity. His body was returned to Ukraine during the latest prisoner exchange.
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