Russia is holding thousands of Ukrainians from the occupied territories who are not prisoners of war in colonies and pre-trial detention centers

Thousands of Ukrainian citizens who are not prisoners of war are being held in colonies and pre-trial detention centers in Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Source. This is stated in the BBC investigation.

These people were detained after the Russian invasion of Ukraine during the so-called filtration process, and sometimes simply on the streets on suspicion of "countering a special military operation." They are deprived of their liberty, but are not officially accused or convicted in criminal cases. "Therefore, it is impossible to find them officially, and there are no mechanisms for their release, unlike prisoners of war," the BBC writes.

Under Russian law, even under martial law, people cannot be detained without trial for more than 30 days. However, the time, place, and grounds for detention of Ukrainians by the military are often not formally recorded anywhere, no criminal or administrative cases have been initiated against them, and no investigation is underway.

This follows from court decisions reviewed by the BBC. Lawyers have virtually no access to those detained without formal charges. At best, the Russian Ministry of Defense recognizes that such people are in Russian custody, but refuses to allow lawyers and relatives to visit them "until verification measures are completed."

The BBC tells the story of several Ukrainian residents captured by the Russians and sent to Russian detention centers or annexed Crimea. Despite all attempts to meet with them, lawyers and relatives were not allowed to see them. It was only possible to establish which detention centers they were held in – and even then, not always.

At the same time, more than 140 Ukrainian civilians have returned home as part of prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia, says Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

A number of Ukrainian citizens were released by the Russians without explanation. Some of those released later reported being tortured by the Russians.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Reintegration, as of November 2023, more than 700 civilians were held in Russian captivity. This is obviously incomplete data. Lubinets mentioned the figure of 25,000 civilians missing in the occupied territories. Some of them could have died or simply left or did not get in touch, others could have been detained.

According to estimates by the project to find missing Ukrainians "Find Your Own", about 7,500 civilians could have been detained by the Russian military or law enforcement officers without charge. Only about 200 have been found.

This statistic does not include children taken from the territory of Ukraine, whose removal became the basis for the charges against Putin in the International Criminal Court.

Russian and Ukrainian human rights activists managed to identify more than 30 colonies and pre-trial detention centers from which reports of Ukrainian civilians held there were received.

Background. Reportedly, 90% of all prisoners recently returned from Russian captivity were tortured. For at least two weeks after returning from captivity, they will undergo initial rehabilitation.