Kostin: More than 10,000 civilian Ukrainians are in Russian captivity
Russians are holding more than 10,000 civilian Ukrainians in the occupied territories and in Russia.
According to Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine, this was stated by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin.
"There are different figures. We estimate tens of thousands, more than 10,000 for sure. We are talking only about those who were forcibly relocated, not about those who made such a decision at their own discretion," Kostin said.
As for the creation of a register of civilian prisoners, Kostin said, such work is ongoing at the government level.
"It is important that we have reached the international level in this matter - the first meeting of an international platform similar to the one dealing with the return of our children took place," the Prosecutor General stressed.
According to Kostin, a UN General Assembly resolution on this issue would be very important, "so that we can use other elements of communication and pressure on the aggressor country to release our civilians and return them to Ukraine."
The Prosecutor General added that, for his part, prosecutors, together with law enforcement agencies, are bringing to justice those responsible for the deportation of civilians and their illegal detention in the temporarily occupied territory and the territory of the aggressor country.
Regarding the number of victims of torture and inhuman treatment, Kostin said that 5,600 Ukrainians who suffered from this type of war crime by the Russian Federation have been identified in criminal proceedings alone.
"However, the full figures may be much higher, as we do not have reliable information from the occupied territories," he added.
According to the Prosecutor General, 164 torture chambers and other places of forced detention have been documented in the occupied territories.
