Since the onset of the conflict in 2022, more than a thousand Ukrainian military personnel and civilians are currently held in Russian captivity.
According to military spokesperson Oкhrimenko, initial Russian plans aimed to capture Kyiv within three days. However, Ukrainian security forces successfully repelled the advance, resulting in civilians and military units becoming hostages in the conflict. Currently, over a thousand individuals remain in captivity, he stated.
Oкhrimenko emphasized that a Coordination Headquarters is actively engaging with the aggressor state to prioritize the return of these captives.
He pointed out the severe conditions faced by those detained, including inadequate food and medical care, alongside systemic maltreatment of Ukrainian civilians and military personnel.
“We recognize that these individuals must be prioritized, as their situation is becoming increasingly dire,” Oкhrimenko remarked.
In a related note, Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, previously indicated that during the Easter prisoner exchange, Ukraine had anticipated the return of a larger number of its citizens. However, the Russian side rejected the proposal.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has reported that as of February 2026, approximately 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers are in Russian captivity, while around 4,000 Russian occupiers are held by Ukraine.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in over a thousand Ukrainians, including military personnel and civilians, being held captive by Russian forces since 2022. Efforts are underway to prioritize their return amidst challenging conditions in detention.