Kyiv, Ukraine - As Russia continues to detain thousands of Ukrainian military and civilians, the families of these prisoners are under psychological and social pressure. One such family is Polina's, whose sick father was taken prisoner after their hometown was captured by Russian forces. She says, "They pressured me for four months to gather information about one of their attacks."
Russian Pressure and Informal Requests
Meanwhile, Russian officials are contacting families of prisoners through social media, and in some cases, asking them to take actions in favor of Russia. Polina recalls: "They sent a video of my father and said, 'Look, he is fine. You haven't helped us at all yet.'" She has fled her hometown and currently lives in northern Ukraine.
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According to Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian government, Russia puts families of prisoners in a vulnerable position by withholding information through official government channels. Yatsenko points out: "Russia never shares official information about imprisoned individuals and instead contacts families directly."
Bitter Experiences and Tortures in Russian Prisons
Many Ukrainian prisoners speak about the harsh conditions and tortures they endured in Russia after their release. A report from the United Nations Human Rights Office in 2024 indicates that most Ukrainian detainees suffer from torture and mistreatment. This report refers to the testimonies of 174 Ukrainian prisoners who were interrogated since March 2023, with nearly all of them reporting torture and mistreatment.
Vladimir Shcherbina, another parent of a prisoner, talks about his child, who was captured in Kherson in November 2022 and accused by the Russians of espionage. In informal communications, he was asked to pay $10,000. He says, "I was very worried that the situation would worsen for my son." Eventually, he received good news, and his son was released.
Prisoner exchanges between the two countries occur periodically. Estimates suggest that nearly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been freed, while a similar number of Russians have also been released. However, neither side states how many prisoners remain in captivity. While both sides capture military prisoners, only Russia holds a large number of civilians and rarely releases them.
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Source: npr.org
