Ukraine verifies 1,700 civilian hostages held by Russia — Ombudsman

Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets shared the information, Ukrinform reports.

"Regarding verification, I have repeatedly seen the figure of 1,700 people who have been verified and illegally detained by the aggressor country, namely civilians of Ukraine. We received this data after the ICRC verification and, in particular, based on the testimonies of those released from captivity, including (former - ed.) prisoners of war," the ombudsman said and added that Ukraine is constantly working to bring people home. However, the government cannot create a mechanism for the return of Ukrainian civilians on its own.

"But together, we can achieve this goal. We need to establish a mechanism of pressure on Russia, primarily through international channels, to ensure that civilians are no longer unlawfully detained in the temporarily occupied territories. Simultaneously, we must initiate the process of returning civilians," Lubinets said.

He emphasized that the Red Cross should have unimpeded access to civilian hostages.

"We are also working to open a corridor for the humanitarian evacuation of civilians from the temporarily occupied territories to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government," Lubinets summarized.

• On February 8, Ukraine returned 100 people from captivity. Most of them are defenders of Mariupol.