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“Russia Has Transformed Abduction Into a Tool of War”: Sybiha Says Ukraine Documented 1,878 Civilian Detainees
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Ukraine has documented the illegal detention of at least 1,878 civilians by Russia, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said during an event in Brussels focused on European Union support for efforts to secure the release of Ukrainian civilians held by Russia.
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“Russia has transformed the abduction, torture, and illegal imprisonment of civilians into a deliberate and systematic tool of war. Thousands of Ukrainians remain in captivity, stripped of their rights, dignity, and often even their humanity,” he said.
The foreign minister noted evidence collected by Ukraine indicates that torture chambers operated in every major settlement occupied by Russian forces. In the liberated city of Kherson alone, Ukrainian authorities discovered 20 such facilities.
Citing United Nations data, Sybiha said more than 90% of Ukrainian prisoners have been subjected to torture or other forms of ill-treatment.
Today in Brussels, I began my visit by participating in a high-level event dedicated to Ukraine’s civilian detainees — civilians whom Russia has effectively turned into hostages of its war.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) July 13, 2026
I am grateful to the European Union for its leadership in launching a dedicated platform… pic.twitter.com/niunHA28Mj
“Our people are beaten, tortured with electric shocks, held in darkness and prolonged isolation, forced into painful positions, deprived of food, water, and medical care, threatened with the murder of their family members, subjected to mock executions, and exposed to sexual violence,” he said, according to the statement.
Sybiha also noted that Crimean Tatars remain one of the largest groups among civilians unlawfully detained by Russia, with approximately 180 people currently in captivity.
He drew attention to the humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied settlements of Oleshky, Hola Prystan, Zburivka, and Nova Zburivka, where, according to the minister, more than 2,000 civilians are surviving without adequate access to water, food, and essential medicines.
Sybiha said Ukraine is working with the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to establish evacuation routes, while accusing Russia of preventing civilians from leaving occupied territory.
“I urge you to use all your influence to help secure a humanitarian corridor. For many people there, time may be measured not in days, but in hours,” he said.
The minister also highlighted Russia's deportation and abduction of Ukrainian children, as well as the continued detention of three former members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission—Dmytro Shabanov, Maksym Petrov, and Vadym Holda—who have been held for more than four years.
Sybiha argued that international humanitarian law lacks an effective mechanism to compel an aggressor state to release civilians unlawfully detained during armed conflict.
“This is not only a consequence of Russia’s crimes. It is also a test for the international community. Existing international humanitarian law does not provide an effective mechanism to secure the release of civilians unlawfully detained during an ongoing war. We cannot allow this legal vacuum to benefit the aggressor,” the minister added.
According to Ukrainian authorities, 401 cases of conflict-related sexual violence against civilians have been documented since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, involving 250 women and 151 men.
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