Russian forces kidnap over 2,000 civilians in Kherson region, 49 die in captivity, prosecutors say

Russian forces have kidnapped 2,053 civilians in the Kherson region since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Suspilne reported, citing Dmytro Kapitan of the Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office.

Of these, 1,052 people have been released, and 49 died from torture or a lack of medical care while in detention. Another four died after their release.

Dmytro Kapitan. Photo credit: Suspilne Kherson

The kidnapped include local government representatives, public figures, journalists and volunteers, Kapitan said.

“Investigators are currently aware that 1,052 civilians have been released. Unfortunately, 49 people who were kidnapped by the Russians died from torture or a lack of medical care. Four died after their release,” Kapitan said.

Investigators have issued notices of suspicion against 159 people in 86 criminal proceedings over the illegal kidnapping of civilians. Eighty indictments against 153 people have been sent to court. Currently, 27 people have been convicted.

At least 375 Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian captives have died in Russian captivity. All of them were previously verified, including by the International Committee of the Red Cross. In addition, 345 Ukrainian service personnel were killed after they stopped resisting and surrendered. ZMINA reported

In August 2025, the repatriated bodies included the remains of five severely ill Ukrainian service personnel from the Istanbul list. The Ukrainian delegation, which worked to bring these people back alive, handed over this list. However, Russia handed over their bodies, although it could still have returned the service personnel alive, according to Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman.

Furthermore, 345 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after they stopped resisting, including soldiers who laid down their weapons and walked out with their hands up. Following this, Russian forces made the Ukrainian service personnel lie on the ground and shot them at point-blank range, even though service members who have laid down their arms and ceased participating in hostilities are protected under international humanitarian law.

Related: Russia has opened criminal cases against 1,500 Ukrainian prisoners of war, rights group head says

To provide background, on 9 October, the United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution. The court had previously issued arrest warrants for:​

• Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova over the alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Russia (March 2023);
• military officials Sergei Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov over strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure (March 2024);
• Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to missile strikes on Ukraine’s electric infrastructure between 10 October 2022 and 9 March 2023 (June 2024).

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