The Ombudsman of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, said that there were about 28,000 Ukrainian civilians in Russian captivity, approximately 2,000 of whom were over 65 years old. It is important to note that the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War does not say anything about the possibility of taking civilians prisoner: Russia grossly violates international law by detaining the civilian population on the TOT of Ukraine. The occupiers do not care about the age of such people — there are cases when Ukrainians over the age of 80 were captured
After the first days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia began to instill fear and to terror people in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT). Civilian prisoners are one of the main instruments of pressure on Ukrainians who are under occupation. They are deprived of basic rights and freedom, living in complete arbitrariness on the part of the Russians: even one pro-Ukrainian statement or Ukrainian symbols is enough to be sent to a jail. After detention, Ukrainian civilians are subjected to psychological and physical abuse, humiliating filtering measures are carried out. Russia does not give UN and Red Cross representatives access to civilian prisoners. The situation is also complicated due to the fact that there is no clear legal mechanism for the exchange of civilian prisoners. In addition, Russia sabotages any exchanges in every possible way and does not go to any negotiations.
The above-mentioned arbitrariness of the terrorist state is a crime against Ukrainian civilians and a violation of the norms and principles of international law. Russia should receive additional sanctions and find itself in complete international isolation — such actions will be a logical response to its legalized terror in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.