UN documents deaths of 438 Ukrainians in Russian captivity: "The machinery of torture is working overtime"

Mariana Katzarova, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia, has reported that at least 438 Ukrainians have died in Russian captivity, and that torture and ill-treatment of prisoners are systematic and have become part of the Kremlin's state policy.

Source: Katzarova's report to the UN General Assembly; her interview with Ukrinform; Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets

Details: Katzarova reported that beatings, sexual violence and electric shocks are common practices in Russian prisons. Prison medical staff are even directly involved in the abuse, helping to conceal evidence of torture.

The special rapporteur stressed that the torture of Ukrainians in Russia is systematic, deliberate and approved at the highest levels of the aggressor state's leadership.

Quote: "The machinery of torture is working overtime, and it is particularly brutal against Ukrainian detainees because the level of impunity is so high. Sometimes, torturing Ukrainian detainees can even earn you a promotion."

Details: Katzarova also emphasised that the Russian authorities refuse to recognise captured Ukrainian servicemen as combatants and are prosecuting them en masse under fabricated terrorism charges. She noted that around 90% of prisoners whose cases are brought before Russian courts get terrorism charges, in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions.

The report states that between September 2025 and August 2026, Russian courts sentenced at least 585 Ukrainians in politically motivated cases. They included 226 civilian hostages and 359 military personnel. In particular, Dmytro Selizar, a captured soldier from the Azov Brigade, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, while the sentence handed down to another Azov fighter, Mykola Kuzmenko, was increased to 27 years.

Katzarova also cited figures from Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, according to which at least 438 Ukrainians have died in Russian captivity. Between May 2025 and May 2026, the bodies of 169 fallen military personnel and civilians were returned to Ukraine. Post-mortem examinations revealed signs of torture and the denial of medical care as direct causes of their deaths.

The report also focuses on the death in captivity of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna.

As of June 2026, the Ukrainian authorities had identified 1,877 civilians held in Russian prisons. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, a total of 9,446 people have been brought back from captivity, including 457 civilians.

"Every crime against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be documented. Every torturer, every organiser of unlawful persecution, and everyone who knowingly conceals these crimes must be held accountable," Lubinets stressed.

Background:

• In August 2024, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that more than 95% of Ukrainian prisoners of war had been tortured in Russian prisons.
• In April 2025, an international investigation involving Ukrainska Pravda identified at least 29 Russian penal colonies and pre-trial detention centres where Ukrainian prisoners are systematically tortured under the direct supervision of the FSB.
• In September 2025, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report stating that more than 90% of Ukrainian civilians had been tortured in captivity, and that dozens had died in detention facilities due to a lack of medical assistance.

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