Russia has so far donated over 5,000 to Ukraine. prisoners of war or their bodies, of which 206 prisoners died in prisons, including over 50 during an explosion in prison barracks in areas that are controlled by Russia – says the Ukrainian government.
According to the AP agency, many of these deaths probably result from the violence used to prisoners in Russian prisons. Ukrainian officials believe that Frequent transmission of bodies by Russia, which is heavily mutilated or even in a state of decomposition, testifies to attempts to hide torture by the Russian sidepoor medical care in prisons in Russia and in the occupied areas in Ukraine, as well as starvation of prisoners.
In addition, according to the data collected by Ukrainian prosecutors, 245 prisoners of war were killed by Russian soldiers on the battlefield. In connection with the abuse of prisoners of war Ukraine intends to sue Russia in the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
According to the UN report of 2024, 95 percent Released Ukrainian prisoners were tortured and abused. The released prisoners reported beating, stewing, electrical shocks, sexual violence, forcing to stay in painful positions for a long time, deprivation of sleep and improving enforcement. – Such behavior could not be more unlawful – said Danielle Bell, UN reporter for Ukraine.
Amnesty International, an organization defending human rights, published a report in 2025 that confirmed the widespread use of torture towards Ukrainian prisoners in Russia. The organization was criticized by the Russian government's shall emphasizing that doctors and representatives of non -governmental organizations were not given access to prisoners.
The AP agency claims that Experts of forensic medicine have serious difficulties in determining the causes of the death of prisoners whose bodies were returned to the Ukrainian side. In some cases, one can get the impression that they wanted to hide injuries, and others lack internal organs.
The Ukrainian doctor directly indicates torture of soldiers
Another pad, a doctor performing autopsy, in an interview with the AP agency, informed that from the beginning of the war she examined dozens of bodies of prisoners that were returned by Russia. On the skull of one of them, she noticed a trail that would suggest to hit a blunt object that was so strong that the prisoner could die on the spot or soon after. “These injuries do not always have to cause death, but they clearly testify to the use of force and torture of soldiers,” said the medic.
AP conducted talks with relatives of 21 Ukrainian prisoners who lost their lives in prison. In five cases, autopsy showed that the cause of death was heart failure, with soldiers at the age of 22, 39 or 43. One died of infection, one because of the impact with a blunt tool, one strangled, and four died of pneumonia or tuberculosis.
According to Pada, such cases clearly indicate physical violence, failure to treat injuries and diseases. “Under normal conditions, these would not be a cause of death,” she noted.
