civilian hostages
Russian authorities unlawfully hold former kindergarten employee Olha Syrotenko from Enerhodar in pretrial detention in Mariupol
In December 2024, FSB officers abducted her from her flat
Russian authorities hold Bucha resident Oleksandr Kurdin, abducted in 2022, in Russia’s Tula region
The released Ukrainian soldiers told her that Oleksandr is being unlawfully held in Penal Colony No. 1 in Donskoy, Tula region
“Hands Off Women’s Rights”: The first Women’s March in Kyiv since the start of the full-scale war
The Human Rights Centre ZMINA team also joined the march and covered the event
Driving instructor Serhii Kotov from Oleshky, occupied Kherson Oblast, is unlawfully held in Russian penal colony after torture and remains in critical condition
Serhii’s only contact with his family is through letters. In his letters, he says that work in the sewing workshop is so poorly paid that it barely covers basic needs. Unlawfully detained civilians receive no humanitarian support – they have to pay for everything they need for daily life themselves
Volunteer Marharyta Kharenko is unlawfully held in a pre-trial detention centre in Novocherkassk
On 30 March 2023, Russian authorities held a "court" hearing in Marharyta’s case but failed to bring any charges against her due to a lack of evidence. However, she was not released and continued to be unlawfully held
Pensioner Oleksandr Pluzhnyk, abducted by Russian soldiers in the Kharkiv Oblast, is held in the Voronezh region
Antonina believes her uncle may have been held in a school basement where the Russians had a "headquarters". According to her, many local residents were unlawfully held there alongside Oleksandr. Later, all the detainees were transferred to an unknown location
Russian authorities hold abducted Kyiv region resident Vasyl Manchuk in Russia’s Tula region
Russian forces first held abducted civilian Vasyl Manchuk in Hostomel before transferring him to detention facilities in Russia’s Bryansk and Tula regions, according to his mother and former detainees
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has called for human rights issues to remain on the agenda of peace negotiations
O'Flaherty suggests that representatives of Ukrainian civil society, whose credibility among citizens is higher than that of the parliament, should be at the negotiating table
Russia bears responsibility for the occupied territories – Amnesty International Ukraine
While preparing the report, representatives of Amnesty International Ukraine conducted over 100 interviews with former prisoners of war and their family members. They shared their experiences, memories, and interactions with state and non-governmental organisations
Trump must remember those Ukrainian prisoners dying in Russia – Nobel winner Matviichuk to US President
Matviichuk considers it abnormal when politicians talk about elections, minerals and concessions, but not about people. In her opinion, the human dimension must be returned to the negotiations. This must be done to stop the war and the loss of life
“Broken ribs have already healed, so there’s no point”: what civilians face after captivity and torture to get money and help
ZMINA talked about this with several former prisoners who were abducted during the occupation of Kherson, as well as Olena Belyachkova, coordinator of the groups of families of POWs and missing persons at Media Initiative for Human Rights.
OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism will help Ukraine show the true scale of war crimes committed against civilians by Russia in Ukraine
According to the Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the OSCE, after bilateral consultations with Ukraine, members of 45 OSCE delegations decided to apply the 8th paragraph of the Moscow Mechanism
Forced filming in propaganda: How Russians use civilian hostages to strengthen their power
For the most part, relatives who contacted the ZMINA Human Rights Center complained that the occupiers did not inform them about the circumstances or the detention of their loved ones
Mariupol resident, Mariana Checheliuk’s health deteriorated significantly due to captivity
According to Mariana’s mother, due to respiratory diseases and angina, Mariana developed complications that turned into a chronic form of bronchitis
Three stories of women taken by Russians as civilian hostages from Kherson
Olha and Svitlana told ZMINA about how Russian occupying forces took prisoners, hastily prepared new cells for them, and held civilian hostages on the occupied left bank of the Kherson region
A typical day in a Russian prison (a diary of a civilian hostage)
ZMINA has obtained a diary written by one of the Kremlin’s prisoners, Dmytro (name changed for security reasons), which he secretly kept throughout his imprisonment. We also spoke with Yevgen Yamkovyi and Viacheslav Zavalnyi, who learned firsthand what the modern Russian penitentiary system is like
A story of an elderly man from Balakliya on a 12-day hunger strike in Russian captivity
Russian occupying forces took 73-year-old Viktor Illinsky from his home in Balakliya, Kharkiv region, in early August 2022. They wrapped a jacket around his head, put him in a military jeep, and drove him to the local police station. He was held with other civilian hostages, including another man in his 70s, in a cramped […]
Three stories about the abuse and inhumane conditions for Ukrainian women prisoners
Read about how Russian forces detain women, the conditions in which they are held, and their treatment in Russian prisons in the stories of the director of a village club and a masseuse from Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, and a volunteer from Mariupol, Donetsk region, shared with ZMINA by the prisoners themselves or their relatives and friends
Columns
Only 5% of those responsible for deporting Ukrainian children face global sanctions
The human safari: How Russia weaponized precision against Ukrainian civilians
The lesson of Crimea: Rewarding aggression only invites more war
Not just Ukraine — Russia is preparing Ukrainian children for future wars elsewhere
