Russia is holding 403 Ukrainian women in captivity, many of whom are unlawfully detained civilians, said the Coordination Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
The agency noted that there are also women whose fate has been unknown since 2014, having disappeared without a trace. Despite numerous appeals to return the captives, the Russian side responds with silence and ignores all requests.
The conditions of detention for Ukrainian women in Russian captivity do not comply with the Third Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war.
Released captives report humiliation, inhumane conditions of detention, often malnourished, inability to receive qualified medical assistance, and contact with relatives. Additionally, Russians continue to prohibit representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross from accessing over 100 places of detention of prisoners and civilians in Russia and occupied territories.
The Ukrainian side has repeatedly offered Russia to release women first, but representatives of the aggressor country engage in manipulation, including with various lists. However, behind all this lies an unwillingness to conduct exchanges, according to the Coordination Staff.
The agency also emphasized that women, as well as severely wounded and seriously ill individuals, according to international humanitarian law, should be released from captivity or repatriated to neutral countries in the first place. Instead, official representatives of Russia claim that they have not read the international agreements signed by their government and do not intend to comply with them.
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