Overview

• More than 200 Ukrainian POWs have died in Russian detention since the start of the 2022 invasion, officials and human rights groups report.
• A 2024 UN study found 95% of released POWs endured systematic torture and other ill-treatment in Russian custody.
• Autopsies of repatriated bodies revealed signs of blunt trauma, missing organs and untreated illnesses that likely worsened fatal injuries.
• Amnesty International and the United Nations have criticized Russia’s refusal to allow independent inspections of its prison facilities.
• Ukraine plans to present testimony from former POWs and forensic findings to the International Criminal Court to pursue war crimes charges.