He said this in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
"There are different figures. We estimate tens of thousands, more than 10,000 for sure. We are talking only about those who were forcibly relocated, not about those who made such a decision at their own discretion," he answered a question about the number of civilian hostages held by Russia.
According to Kostin, work is underway at the government level to create a register of civilian prisoners. For example, the first meeting of an international platform similar to the one dealing with the return of Ukrainian children has already taken place.
The Prosecutor General noted that a UN General Assembly resolution on this issue would be very important, “so that we can use other elements of communication and pressure on the aggressor country to release our civilians and return them to Ukraine.”
Kostin added that prosecutors, together with law enforcement agencies, are bringing to justice those responsible for the deportation of civilians and their illegal detention on the temporarily occupied territory and the territory of the aggressor country.
Speaking about the number of victims of torture and inhuman treatment, the Prosecutor General said that in criminal proceedings alone, 5,600 Ukrainians have been identified as victims of this type of war crime by the Russian Federation.
"However, the full figures may be much higher, as we do not have reliable information from the occupied territories," he emphasized.
According to the Prosecutor General, 164 torture chambers and other places of forced detention have been documented in the territories under occupation.