During their captivity, Russia tortured all Ukrainian prisoners of war who returned home as part of the recent prisoner exchange, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said, according to UkrInform.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine returned 230 military personnel and civilians on January 3. This was the largest since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This exchange came after a month-long break.
Ukraine is carrying out the largest prisoner exchange since the beginning of the major Russian invasion
The last prisoner of war exchange took place in August 2023. At that time, 22 Ukrainian soldiers returned to their homeland.
According to Lubinets, the Ukrainian prisoners of war are feeling exhausted after losing significant weight during their captivity due to alleged malnutrition, and are in need of medical attention and rehabilitation since they were all tortured by Russians.
The Ombudsman has informed that Ukraine is collecting evidence of violence against its soldiers and civilians and will forward it to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations.
Read more:
You can close this page. Or join our community and help us produce more materials like this.
We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. That's why our small, low-cost team relies on the support of readers like you to provide breaking news, quality analysis and on-the-ground reporting about Russia's war on Ukraine and Ukraine's fight to build a democratic society. A little goes a long way: for as little as the price of a cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, as well as become a co-creator and vote on topics we should cover next. Become a patron or explore other ways to support. Become a patron!