Why does it matter?

– Because under the Geneva Convention, civilians are prohibited from being taken as prisoners of war. In other words, such “captives” should not exist at all. As a result, there is no legal mechanism for their return — civilians cannot be exchanged for military personnel.

– Russia systematically violates a number of key international treaties and conventions, including:
🔹 Geneva Conventions (1949)
– The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the detention of civilians, their deportation, and the taking of hostages.
🔹 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
– Violations include the right to liberty, fair trial, and protection from torture.
🔹 Convention Against Torture (1984)
– Prohibits cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
🔹 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998)
– The abduction of civilians, torture, and unlawful detention are classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
🔹 European Convention on Human Rights (1950)
– Violations of the right to life, liberty, fair trial, and protection from torture.
🔹 Customary International Humanitarian Law
– Prohibits repression of civilians in occupied territories.

Civilians are meant to be protected. Instead, Russia has created a parallel reality — without rights, justice, or due process.

– No. Russia has long used the abduction of civilians as a tool of war — in Ukraine, Chechnya, Georgia, and Syria. It is part of a longstanding pattern of violating international humanitarian law.

– According to the Media Initiative for Human Rights, as of July 2024, there is verified information on 1,770 Ukrainian civilians held in Russian captivity.
Experience from past returns shows that some civilians were previously considered missing.
In total, over 70,000 people in Ukraine are listed as missing under special circumstances. Many families still don’t know what happened to their loved ones.

– No. International law allows for the exchange of prisoners of war but provides no tools for the release of civilians unlawfully captured during war. This means Russia must release civilian detainees unconditionally.

– In most cases — no. Russia refuses to acknowledge their detention and ignores official requests from Ukraine and international organizations.

– No. Their locations are often undisclosed. Many are held in pre-trial detention centers, penal colonies, or unofficial facilities across Russia — without charges, trials, or based on fabricated cases.

– Ukrainians do not receive adequate food or medical care and are held in unsanitary, inhumane conditions. Testimonies of those released describe systematic torture: beatings, suffocation, electric shocks, mock executions, sexualized violence, and psychological abuse.

– Apply pressure. Bear witness. Speak out.

The world must not allow Russia to erase these people from view. Every diplomatic engagement, exhibition, article, or social media post is a chance to save a life.

The unlawful detention of civilians, torture, abduction, and enforced disappearances are war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Everyone involved — from perpetrators to political leadership — must be held accountable.
Justice is the only guarantee that this will not happen again.

International solidarity can turn powerlessness into action.

– Yes. Every voice, every story, every action makes this issue more visible — and with visibility comes pressure that can make even the silent respond.
It’s a long road — but it begins with solidarity.