In Russia, there are formally no prisoners of war. A human rights defender explained Putin's cynical invention.

The founder of the project "Search.Captivity", lawyer Nikolai Polozov stated that Russia does not recognize the status of a prisoner of war to avoid responsibility. He emphasized that there is no law in Russia that defines this status. Polozov also explained that the exact number of people in Russian captivity cannot be determined, as there are Ukrainian servicemen who have not returned, and many of them are held captive. He also pointed out that the Russian authorities conceal information about the citizens of Ukraine who are in captivity.

Polozov added that both civilians and military personnel are in Russian captivity, but many of them do not actually have legal status. He explained that criminal cases are fabricated to demonstrate the results of their activities. According to Polozov, Russians create statistics, profiting from this.

According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, at least 177 Ukrainians have died in Russian captivity. As a result of prisoner exchanges, Moscow returned about 3,600 Ukrainian prisoners of war and deported citizens, but thousands of people still remain in captivity.

The UN International Commission found new evidence of torture by Russia of Ukrainian prisoners in the occupied territories of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The Council of Europe also demands that Russia comply with international humanitarian law and rehabilitate Ukrainian prisoners.