According to the human rights project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial,” at least 4,029 individuals have been implicated in politically motivated criminal cases associated with the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The breakdown of those affected includes 1,614 Russian citizens, 1,277 Ukrainian citizens, 121 individuals with dual citizenship (both Russian and Ukrainian), and 47 citizens from other countries. The report highlights that the identities of at least 551 civilians holding Ukrainian passports and 726 Ukrainian military personnel are known.
Since the onset of the conflict in 2022, at least 39 Ukrainians have received life sentences. Currently, 3,059 individuals are reported to be imprisoned under these politically motivated charges, with no acquittals recorded by Russian courts in such cases.
The regions with the highest number of politically motivated prosecutions include Kursk Oblast in Russia, with 346 individuals, Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine, with 289 individuals, and Moscow and the Moscow Oblast, with 249 individuals.
Overall, human rights defenders estimate that 899 individuals are facing criminal prosecution in the occupied territories of Ukraine, including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Crimea, and Sevastopol.
As of February 14, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russia is holding approximately 7,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war, while Ukraine has over 4,000 prisoners in its custody. On February 5, Ukraine conducted its 71st prisoner exchange with Russia, successfully returning 157 military and civilian individuals. This marked the first prisoner exchange of 2026, with 150 military personnel and seven civilians released from Russian captivity.
The report reveals that over 4,000 individuals are facing politically motivated charges in Russia and occupied Ukraine, with a significant number of these cases involving both civilians and military personnel. The findings underscore the ongoing human rights concerns in the context of the conflict.