UKRAINE, Aug. 14 – At least 375 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have died in Russian captivity, while 345 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after surrendering, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, said. 

According to Lubinets, the International Committee of Red Cross had previously verified all the 375 Ukrainians as POWs or civilians that died in Russian captivity. 

Among those repatriated in August 2025 were the remains of five seriously ill Ukrainian defenders from the Istanbul list, whom Ukraine had sought to return alive. He said seriously wounded and ill Ukrainians should be prioritized in prisoner exchanges.

“We were ready to organize an urgent exchange. The Russians did not do it. Unfortunately, Russia is now returning the bodies of Ukrainians who were still alive when we sought to bring them home,” Lubinets said.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has also documented at least 345 cases in which Ukrainian soldiers were killed after surrendering. 

According to the ombudsman, the victims had laid down their weapons, raised their hands or otherwise demonstrated that they had stopped resisting. Despite their surrender, Russian troops forced the Ukrainian servicemen to lie on the ground and shot them at point-blank range, which constitutes a war crime.

“Legally, I consider this the same as the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Under the Geneva Conventions, once a serviceman has taken all these steps and ceased resisting, they automatically acquire prisoner-of-war status,” the official added.

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