“During the full-scale invasion, more than 10,000 Russian occupiers were captured: 30% of them did not even finish school, 40% had criminal records, and 38% were unemployed before the war.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, project “I want to live”
Literally: “I want to live” project for the first time publishes comprehensive statistics on more than 10,000 Russian servicemen captured during the full-scale invasion.
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The number of Russians surrendering as prisoners increases every year. In the incomplete year 2025, more Russian soldiers were captured than in 2022 and 2023 combined.”
Details: It is reported that, on average, 60 to 90 servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces surrender every week, and in August 2024, this figure reached 350 people per week.
The headquarters also stated that since June 2023, Russian soldiers are captured more often than Ukrainian soldiers in Russian.
The largest number of prisoners were taken in the Pokrovsky and Bakhmut districts of the Donetsk region, the Kursk region and the Pologiv district of the Zaporizhzhya region.
In addition, the number of foreign mercenaries in captivity increased dramatically in 2025.
Every week 2–3 prisoners turned out to be recruited citizens of third countries.
In general, almost 7% of all Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine are foreigners from 40 countries.
The coordination headquarters reports that a typical Russian prisoner of war is:
- 83% are rank-and-file.
- 13% are sergeants.
- Almost 3% are officers.
- Age – from 18 to 65 years.
- About 76% are contract workers (including those recruited in prisons and PMCs).
- 19% are mobilized.
- Almost 5% are conscripts.
24% of Russian prisoners claimed coercion or deception; 40% have criminal records, most often for theft, drugs, robbery and robbery, grievous bodily harm and murder.
Only 7% have a higher education, while 30% have not even finished high school.
Before the war, 38% were unemployed. Almost half have children, in particular 8% – three or more.
It is also reported that hundreds of prisoners with severe chronic diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes and mental disorders.
A little more than 6,000 prisoners of war were returned to Russia as part of exchanges for Ukrainian defenders, more than half of them in 2025.
It is known about at least 237 former Russian prisoners who died after the exchange or went missing after being re-sent to the front.
Four Russian soldiers are currently in captivity for the second time.
The general staff also emphasized that Russia primarily takes ethnic Russians from captivity without serious injuries and with a short period of captivity.
The Russian Federation does not request foreign mercenaries for exchange.
