Uncertain hope of release: Thousands of Ukrainian civilians still held by Russia

In January, the center and other Ukrainian and Russian rights groups launched “People First,” a campaign that says any peace settlement must prioritise the release of everyone they say are captives, including Russians jailed for protesting the war, as well as Ukrainian children who were illegally deported

Kyiv: When she heard her front door open almost two years ago, Kostiantyn Zinovkin’s mother thought her son had returned home because he forgot something. Instead, men in balaclavas burst into the apartment in Melitopol, a southern Ukrainian city occupied by Russian forces.

They said Zinovkin was detained for a minor infraction and would be released soon. They used his key to enter, said his wife, Liusiena, and searched the flat so thoroughly that they tore it apart “into molecules.” But Zinovkin wasn’t released. Weeks after his May 2023 arrest, the Russians told his mother he was plotting a terrorist attack. He’s now standing trial on charges his family calls absurd.

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Zinovkin is one of thousands of civilians in Russian captivity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists their release, along with prisoners of war, will be an important step toward ending the 3-year-old war.

So far, it hasn’t appeared high on the agenda in US talks with Moscow and Kyiv. “While politicians discuss natural resources, possible territorial concessions, geopolitical interests and even Zelenskyy’s suit in the Oval Office, they’re not talking about people,” said Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

Thousands held

In January, the center and other Ukrainian and Russian rights groups launched “People First,” a campaign that says any peace settlement must prioritise the release of everyone they say are captives, including Russians jailed for protesting the war, as well as Ukrainian children who were illegally deported.

“You can’t achieve sustainable peace without taking into account the human dimension,” Matviichuk told The Associated Press. It’s unknown how many Ukrainian civilians are in custody, both in occupied regions and in Russia. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets has estimated over 20,000.

Matviichuk says her group received over 4,000 requests to help civilian detainees. She notes it’s against international law to detain noncombatants in war.

Oleg Orlov, co-founder of the Russian rights group Memorial, says advocates know at least 1,672 Ukrainian civilians are in Moscow’s custody. “There’s a larger number of them that we don’t know about,” added Orlov, whose organisation won the Nobel alongside Matviichuk’s group and is involved in People First.