Greater than 150 Ukrainian prisoners of conflict (POWs) could also be held in Chechnya, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Remedy of Prisoners of Warfare informed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Feb. 14.
Ukraine has documented over 100 instances of Russia summarily executing Ukrainian POWs because the begin of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets clarified that the precise quantity is probably going a lot increased since it’s tough to doc Russian conflict crimes with out supporting proof, akin to movies of the executions.
Some 36 Ukrainian POWs are being sought and could also be within the metropolis of Grozny, Chechnya, in line with the headquarters.
The Pink Cross Worldwide Committee has not confirmed that there are any Ukrainians in captivity in Chechnya. The headquarters are additionally not conscious of any visits by the humanitarian group to Ukrainian POWs in Chechnya, as reported by RFE/RL.
Ukrainian troopers are captured in numerous sectors of the frontline, after which they’re transferred to Chechnya, the headquarters stated.
"As in different places of detention on the territory of the aggressor state and the Ukrainian occupied territories, the norms of humanitarian regulation and the necessities of the Third Geneva Conference associated to the therapy of POWs are usually not noticed," the group stated.
"(Chechen dictator Ramzan) Kadyrov's regime makes use of prisoners as human shields for army services, in addition to a lever to carry sanctions in opposition to members of the Kadyrov household."
Ukraine has not acquired any requests from Chechnya for the alternate of POWs, the headquarters added.
In 2024, 1,358 Ukrainians had been launched, and because the starting of the all-out conflict, 3,956 Ukrainians have returned from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his New Yr's handle.
The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov