captivity Archives - Euromaidan Press

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

“Angels” risked everything to bring them home — Ukrainian soldiers escape from Russian forced labor in occupied Luhansk

Ukrainian Naval special intelligence unit “Angels” has reported successfully returning home a 29-year-old Armed Forces veteran and a…

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

“I counted every single day”: 2025 Ukrainian POWs endured three years of Russian captivity — and finally came back home

185 soldiers and 20 civilians return from torture and darkness, greeted by tears, smiles, and the bitter weight of friends still imprisoned.

byOlena Mukhina

3 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Kenyan athlete says he was lured to Russian army, but Ukrainian fighters who captured him aren’t so sure about that

Signed papers he couldn’t read, trained under threats, and vanished into forests to survive.

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Last of Ukrainian defenders behind legendary “Russian warship, go f*ck yourself” phrase, returns from captivity

Vitalii Hyrenko was released after three years in a Russian prison.

byOlena Mukhina

3 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Ukrainian soldier dies weeks after release from Russian captivity with his organs failing due to torture

He met his grandchildren. He hoped to live.

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Some of these defenders were just 21 when captured in Mariupol—three years later they step back onto Ukrainian soil

One was guarding Chornobyl. Another fought in Sumy.

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

From hell to healing: Ukraine starts POW return under Istanbul agreement

After years in Russian captivity, Ukraine’s most gravely injured defenders are finally coming home.

byOlena Mukhina

Ukraine returned 150 soldiers from Russian captivity in a new prisoner exchange on 5 February. Source: Zelenskyy Telegram

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

4,131 people freed from Russian captivity, Ukraine says

Ukraine secured the return of 150 defenders on Monday, including many who spent over two and a half years in Russian captivity.

byMaria Tril

3 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Ukraine criticizes UN report on POW treatment as hundreds return from Russian captivity with life-threatening injuries

Ukraine's ombudsman criticizes UN report's equivalence of POW treatment, citing systematic pattern of returned Ukrainian prisoners bearing fatal injuries from Russian captivity while investigations address isolated Ukrainian violations.

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Russia holds 16,000 Ukrainian civilians captive, only 168 released since 2022, says Ombudsman Lubinets

International law prevents Ukraine from exchanging civilians for military prisoners, leaving thousands of detained Ukrainian civilians, including journalists and women, trapped in Russian prisons with limited options for release.

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Russia holds 301 Ukrainian civilian women captive, human rights group reports

As Russia continues to withhold information about detained civilians, the human rights defender group have confirmed that at least 301 Ukrainian women are being held captive, with the vast majority seized during the full-scale war.

byOlena Mukhina

A Russian soldier, illustrative image. Photo via Wikimedia.

3 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Captured Russian marine reveals executions of Ukrainian POWs ordered by commander

former Wagner mercenary, now serving in Russia’s 155th Marine Brigade, has disclosed to Ukrainian forces the brutal killing of Ukrainian prisoners in Kursk Oblast, allegedly ordered by Russian command.

byOlena Mukhina

3 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Ukraine returns 49 more defenders and civilians from Russian captivity

Among those freed is Lenie Umerova, a Crimean Tatar activist who was captured by Russian forces while crossing the Georgian border.

byMaria Tril

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Russia attempts to force POW families into spying and conducting acts of sabotage, Ukraine warns

The Coordination Headquarters urges the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war not to cooperate with the Russians.

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

More than 95% of Ukrainian prisoners of war tortured in Russia – UN Mission

Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, highlighted the stark contrast in the treatment of Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine, where authorities provide unrestricted access to detention facilities and ensure conditions that comply with humanitarian law.

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

ISW: Russia exploits POW swaps to undermine support for Ukraine

Russia's accusations against Ukraine are seen as a tactic to obscure its own war crimes and disrupt Ukrainian decision-making.

byOlena Mukhina

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Some 403 Ukrainian women in Russian captivity, including civilians

Russia continues to defy international law by holding 403 Ukrainian women captive, many of them civilians, in deplorable conditions.

byMaria Tril

Latest news Ukraine

Russia detains over 100 Ukrainian civilians without charges, human rights advocate reports

These individuals are kept incommunicado, with no legal charges, inaccessible to lawyers, and often transferred between locations, with some even moved to Russia.

byOrysia Hrudka

3 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Ukraine conducts largest prisoner exchange since Russian full-scale invasion’s start

On 3 January, Ukraine returned 230 military personnel and civilians from Russian captivity after "the most difficult" negotiation process.

byMaria Tril

2 minute read

Latest news Ukraine

Ombudsman: Russians trying to use relatives of Ukrainian POWs against Ukraine

The Ukrainian Ombudsman says Russia systematically tells Ukrainian POW families that Ukraine blocks returns, demanding relatives hold protests and provide infrastructure photos to Russia.

byYuri Zoria