Overview
- An OSCE expert report details widespread torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian custody and concludes the violations constitute war crimes, with some likely rising to crimes against humanity.
- The team estimates at least 13,500 Ukrainian soldiers have been captured since 2022, with about 6,800 released, roughly 6,300 still detained and at least 169 deaths recorded in captivity.
- Investigators report that Russia frequently refuses to recognize captured Ukrainian soldiers as prisoners of war, exposing them to criminal prosecution contrary to Geneva Convention protections.
- The findings draw on interviews and written accounts from former detainees and other sources after Moscow declined to cooperate or grant access to detention sites.
- The experts encouraged ICC action as corroborating probes include UN human rights data pointing to 194 battlefield executions by May 2025 alongside reports of killings in detention.