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Prisoners of war

1000 Days in Captivity: What Is Happening with the Marines Who Defended Mariupol
1000 Days in Captivity: What Is Happening with the Marines Who Defended Mariupol

— We were standing by the barracks on the territory of Olenivka and watching for five hours […]

6 January 2025

184 Ukrainians died in Russian captivity since the beginning of full-scale war ─ Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
184 Ukrainians died in Russian captivity since the beginning of full-scale war ─ Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War

The Media Initiative for Human Rights has received information on the officially confirmed number of Ukrainians who died in Russian captivity. Most of them are prisoners of war, but there are also civilians. MIHR also investigated the most common causes of death in captivity.

23 December 2024

Human rights organisations call on ICC to investigate the murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka Colony
Human rights organisations call on ICC to investigate the murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka Colony

The Regional Center for Human Rights, along with its partners – the Media Initiative for Human Rights, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Yahad-In Unum, OSINT FOR UKRAINE and the Olenivka Community – filed a Submission with the International Criminal Court calling for an investigation into the mass murder and torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka.

11 December 2024

Azov Brigade Soldier Serhii Tarasiuk Gets Tuberculosis in Russian Captivity: His Condition is Critical
Azov Brigade Soldier Serhii Tarasiuk Gets Tuberculosis in Russian Captivity: His Condition is Critical

A random photo on social networks allowed Serhii Tarasiuk’s wife to find out the terrible truth about her husband who is kept in captivity. He has been held in inhumane conditions for over two years. The 58-year-old Azov Brigade soldier’s state of health is critical. According to the latest information, Serhii Tarasiuk is kept in Pretrial Detention Center No. 2 in the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd Oblast.

18 October 2024

Russia Sentences Azov Brigade Member Serhii Mykhailenko to Life Imprisonment and Sends him to Siberi
Russia Sentences Azov Brigade Member Serhii Mykhailenko to Life Imprisonment and Sends him to Siberi

Serhii Mykhailenko is an Azov Brigade soldier. He left the Azovstal plant together with his fellow soldiers on May 20, 2022. They were judged for crimes they had not committed. The so-called Supreme Court of the DPR sentenced Mykhailenko to life imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony. The man was sent to Siberia to serve his illegal sentence.

11 October 2024

Forceful undress, polygraphs, and interrogations about Biolabs. Stories of combat medics who survived Russian captivity
Forceful undress, polygraphs, and interrogations about Biolabs. Stories of combat medics who survived Russian captivity

At least 50 Ukrainian military medics are being held in Russian captivity. In addition, Russia holds many civilian doctors and nurses, subjecting them to beatings, interrogations, and baseless criminal charges.

24 September 2024

Azov fighter Yaroslav Kozyriev’s Mother, “I Reached a Point Where I Didn’t Understand Why I Had to Get out of Bed.” The Story of Captivity
Azov fighter Yaroslav Kozyriev’s Mother, “I Reached a Point Where I Didn’t Understand Why I Had to Get out of Bed.” The Story of Captivity

“My mornings begin with a prayer to God, asking Him to strengthen my son, protect him from evil people and torture. And that’s the last thing I think about before falling asleep,” Iryna Kozyrieva, mother of an Azov Brigade soldier, says through tears. Her son Yaroslav has been held in Russian captivity for 29 months. However, under the Geneva Conventions, he should have been exchanged two years ago.

16 September 2024

The Armed Forces of Ukraine Have Been Assailing a Correctional Colony in the Kursk Region, where Russia Has Been Holding Ukrainian Prisoners. MIHR Interviewed Those Released from the Facility
The Armed Forces of Ukraine Have Been Assailing a Correctional Colony in the Kursk Region, where Russia Has Been Holding Ukrainian Prisoners. MIHR Interviewed Those Released from the Facility

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have been assaulting a female correctional facility in Mala Loknia, Kursk region, where Ukrainian captives—women and men—have been confined for a long time. The seizure of the colony will be a crucial step for Ukraine in gathering evidence of the war crimes committed by Russia against Ukrainian prisoners of war.

23 August 2024

Lost in Russian detention centers. How the family of Kherson defender Yehor Kysel is trying to rescue him from captivity
Lost in Russian detention centers. How the family of Kherson defender Yehor Kysel is trying to rescue him from captivity

Yehor Kysel, an Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) veteran, defended Kherson during the early days of the full-scale invasion. After the city was occupied, he was abducted by Russians. Since then, the man’s place of detention has changed several times. We share what is happening with the veteran based on the account of his sister, Inna.

8 August 2024

Alleged Murderers of Azov Brigade Soldiers in Olenivka Face Charges: Who They are and What the Investigation Reveals
Alleged Murderers of Azov Brigade Soldiers in Olenivka Face Charges: Who They are and What the Investigation Reveals

July 28, 2024 is the second anniversary of the mass murder of Ukrainian soldiers of the Azov Brigade held in captivity in Olenivka. Previously the MIHR established the chronology of this crime almost minute by minute. Now we are talking about the progress made in the investigation and the persons charged by the Prosecutor’s Office with the murder.

28 July 2024

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