Thousands of Ukrainians are illegally detained by Russia

The illegal detention of Ukrainian civilians in the Russian-occupied territories is widespread and appears to be part of a systematic, consistent and deliberate strategy. This is stated in the report of the OSCE mission.

It is impossible to determine the exact number of illegally detained civilians, but the report speaks of thousands of such citizens.

Previously, the practice of detaining Ukrainians in the occupied territory was used in the annexed Crimea and in the "DPR/LPR". After the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, it spread to all regions under Russian occupation.

It is "imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental norms of international law."

"The general pattern of arbitrary detention by the Russian Federation of many Ukrainian civilians remains unchanged and... is a defining feature of the Russian Federation's policy in the temporarily occupied territories," the report says.

These facts give the OSCE mission grounds to qualify what is happening as a war crime and a crime against humanity.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 26/04/2024