Russian captivity: the enemy does not register facts of arrests, kidnappings, deportations of Ukrainian civilians - expert.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross and other sources, there are 1,700 Ukrainian civilians in Russian captivity, but their number may be much larger. This was reported by lawyer and expert of the Regional Center for Human Rights Andriy Yakovlev.

"The fact that 1,700 people have been confirmed does not mean that this is the exact number of civilians in captivity. Their number may significantly exceed this figure. We simply do not have information about others. Russia does not record facts of arrests, abductions, and deportations of civilians, so hostages are deprived of any rights," said Yakovlev.

He emphasized that the situation with detained Ukrainian civilians in the Russian Federation is considered equivalent to extrajudicial criminal punishment.

"Ukrainian civilians are under arrest in Russian institutions where already convicted persons are held, but they cannot even appeal their detention. They have no lawyer, no way to contact anyone, or communicate with the outside world. In fact, Russia applies criminal punishment without trial and the possibility of revision. The terms of such detention are unknown," the lawyer noted.

It is also necessary to hold accountable those who criminally detain and keep civilian prisoners. In particular, Russian leadership should be held responsible.

"The high Russian leadership must be held accountable. Who has the right to imprison a person without a court decision? Only the high leadership, particularly at the federal level. I hope that arrest warrants will be issued against these individuals," Yakovlev said.