russia handed over 375 dead Ukrainian military personnel and civilians who had been confirmed as prisoners of war, Bohdan Okhrimenko, Head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said in an interview with ukrinform.ua.
“Unfortunately, as part of the repatriation efforts, russia handed over 375 dead Ukrainian military personnel and civilians who were considered prisoners of war. Of these, 146 were confirmed by the ICRC as prisoners of war, while the captivity of 229 others was confirmed by other sources, including testimonies from those released from captivity who had seen them alive. russia returned their bodies showing signs of torture, exhaustion, and denial of medical care,” he said.Okhrimenko added that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies document all such cases and submit the information to the International Criminal Court.
“In essence, under the Third Geneva Convention, the russian Federation is responsible for the life and health of the prisoners it holds. When it informs the ICRC that it has captured certain military personnel, it guarantees the satisfaction of their basic needs for food, clothing, and medical care. russia is not fulfilling these obligations, and when we receive the bodies of prisoners, we once again document war crimes,” the Head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters noted.
