Ukraine wins release of 7 civilians held in Russian captivity
Ukraine returned seven civilians from Russian captivity (photo: t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
Ukrainians have been brought home after prolonged illegal detention in Russia. Some of those released are suffering from serious health problems following their captivity, Ukraine's Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reports.
Among those released are mostly young men born in the 2000s from the Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions, who had been held since 2022.
The ombudsman says people were detained without legal grounds — during searches, at checkpoints, or effectively abducted from their own homes. One of them was detained while traveling to visit his father.
The released Ukrainians returned with severe physical and psychological aftermath. In particular, one of them is in critical condition due to injuries and, according to Lubinets, shows signs of torture.
The Ukrainian side emphasizes that such actions grossly violate the Geneva Conventions, which guarantee the protection of civilians during wartime.
"Civilians should never have been detained at all, yet they were abducted, tortured, and held as hostages. International humanitarian law must be upheld, and civilians must be returned home. We will continue our efforts to achieve this," the ombudsman said.
Earlier, the media reported that Ukraine and Russia carried out a large-scale prisoner swap ahead of Easter, which included 175 military personnel and seven civilian citizens returned home. This exchange was one of the biggest in recent times and covered representatives from various branches of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
