Russia tortured more than 5 thousand Ukrainian civilians, said the Prosecutor General of Kyiv

Demonstrators protested in Kyiv last week in support of Ukrainian prisoners being held by Ukraine. Photo: Tony Hicks/AP

Russia tortured more than half of the 10,000 Ukrainian civilians held captive, Kiev's prosecutor general said.

Andrei Kostin told Interfax-Ukraine: “According to We estimate that tens of thousands, more than 10,000 for sure,” are being held by Russia.

“We are talking only about those who were forcibly resettled, and not about those who made this decision on their own,” he said.

He further said that about 5,600 people were subjected to torture, but added, that the true numbers could be «much higher», stating that 164 Russian torture chambers and forced detention facilities were discovered in the liberated Ukrainian territories.

Andrei Kostin reported that the figures included only “those who were forcibly resettled”; and not “those who made this decision of their own accord”; Photo: ALEXANDROS MICHAILIDIS/Alamy Live News

Mr Kostin called on the United Nations to take action regarding Russia's detention of Ukrainian citizens, adding that work was underway to compile a list of all those captured.

A UN General Assembly resolution on the issue could be used to put “pressure on the aggressor country to release our civilians and return them to Ukraine,” he said.

When asked whether to distinguish between those who voluntarily moved to Russian-occupied Ukraine and those who were forced to move and are now imprisoned, Mr. Kostin called the distinction “inappropriate.”

“When we talk about the occupied territories, the word “voluntary” is inappropriate. Some people are forced to leave the country due to attacks; others are promised material assistance and illusory security. But any actions taken under such pressure are not voluntary,” he said.

According to the UN, this happened in winter 12 cases of execution of at least 32 captured Ukrainian prisoners of war. Photo: Global Images Ukraine

His warning came as more than 30 Ukrainian prisoners of war were executed in Russia this winter, the UN agency said in a report. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) found.

OHCHR said it recorded 12 executions of at least 32 captured Ukrainian prisoners over the winter, indicating that some prisoners were killed in groups.

The report, based on interviews with 60 Ukrainian soldiers, said released from captivity, «three of these incidents were confirmed, in which Russian troops executed seven Ukrainian soldiers without a fight,» the report says.

Reports of the torture or torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war killed in Russian captivity have repeatedly surfaced since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

As of the end of February, the Prosecutor General's Office said that 19 criminal investigations were underway into the execution of 45 Ukrainian prisoners.< /p>