Ineffective Work of ICRC Prevents Ukraine From Accessing Accurate Number of Ukrainian POWs in Russian Captivity, Ombudsman Says

Ukraine remains without accurate data on service members held in Russian captivity, as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been criticized for its inefficiency in verifying the status of prisoners of war (POWs).

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Ombudsman, highlighted this issue on December 5 during the conference “Decade 2014–2024: Restoring Human Rights. Preserving Democracy”.

“Due to the inefficiency of the ICRC, we cannot officially confirm the status of all Ukrainian POWs in Russia. While we have information on individuals likely in captivity, these figures remain unverified. No party can reliably confirm exact numbers or percentages,” Lubinets stated.

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Ukraine relies on its internal data to estimate the number of servicemen in captivity. However, these figures lack official verification from the ICRC. Lubinets emphasized the need to establish a bilateral mechanism for verifying prisoner records.

This issue is consistently raised in discussions with Russian Ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova and third-party mediators, including representatives from the United Arab Emirates.

The Ombudsman also addressed the repatriation of fallen soldiers. Over the past two months, Ukraine has facilitated the return of more than 1,500 bodies of deceased service members. Lubinets called for reducing bureaucratic obstacles to accelerate the exchange of remains between Ukraine and Russia.

In terms of missing persons, Lubinets noted a unique challenge in Ukrainian legislation, which allows families to seek a court declaration of death six months after a person is reported missing. At the same time, official searches for missing individuals continue until they are found, alive or deceased.