Over 1,000 Ukrainians held in Russian captivity since 2022, officials say
Prisoner exchange (photo: t.me/Kyrylo_Budanov_Official)
More than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been held in Russian captivity since 2022, said Head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Bohdan Okhrimenko in an interview with Ukrinform.
"Russia planned to capture Kyiv in three days, but the security and defense forces repelled the offensive. However, civilians and units of servicemen who were in the path of advancing Russian troops became hostages of the situation. More than 1,000 people have been in captivity since 2022," he said.
Bohdan Okhrimenko noted that the Coordination Headquarters is working with the aggressor country to return this category of prisoners as a priority.
He emphasized that poor nutrition and medical care, as well as systemic sadism toward Ukrainian civilians and military personnel, are taking their toll.
"We understand that these people must be a priority because their resources are being exhausted," Okhrimenko said.
A representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Andrii Yusov, previously reported that during the Easter exchange, Ukraine expected the return of a larger number of citizens, but the Russian side rejected the proposal.
According to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as of February 2026, up to 7,000 Ukrainian servicemen were in Russian captivity, while about 4,000 Russian troops were held in Ukrainian captivity.
In addition, according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, more than 95% of captured Ukrainians are subjected to systematic torture in Russia. Also, as of the end of 2025, 337 cases of deliberate and brutal executions of Ukrainian servicemen by Russian troops had been recorded.
On April 24, as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia, 193 Ukrainian soldiers returned home. All details are in the RBC-Ukraine material.
