UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Jun. 19 — According to preliminary estimates, Russia holds about 16,000 Ukrainian civilians captive. Officials have verified more than 800 of these cases, including those since 2014, Olena Logvinova, the deputy head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, reported.

However, officials warn that the actual number of civilians being held illegally may be significantly higher because of limited access to information.

According to Logvinova, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion 449 residents of the Kharkiv region have been freed from captivity, 37 of them are civilians. They are eligible for ₴50,000 (about $1,113) in financial support, free initial medical checkups, and psychological aid at hub hospitals across the Kharkiv region.

On Jun. 5, the 75th prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine took place, returning 185 service members and one civilian to Ukraine. Among those released are three residents of Kharkiv and three from the Kharkiv district. 

Overall, the total number of Ukrainian service members freed from captivity now exceeds the number of those still being held by Russia, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman, said in the interview to Radio Svoboda, US-funded broadcaster.

On Sept. 29, 2025, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, signed a law formally withdrawing Russia from the European convention for the prevention of torture. 

According to Lubinets, this move is a clear political signal that Moscow rejects European standards, deliberately removing international oversight to avoid accountability for torturing Ukrainian prisoners and civilians.

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