Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said this during a press conference at Ukrinform titled "Countering Russian Disinformation: Exposing Russian Psychological Operations Targeting Prisoners, Exchanges and Missing Persons."

"We have a separate list, which currently contains 375 names. These are Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages who were verified as either prisoners of war or civilians detained by the Russian Federation. This verification was also carried out through the international verification mechanism of the International Committee of the Red Cross. All of them have returned home on their shields, meaning that the Russian Federation handed over the bodies of 375 Ukrainian citizens who had been tortured to death," Lubinets said.

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He stressed that Russia has created a system in which torture, humiliation and unlawful convictions have become instruments of war.

"We call this system the 'Moscow Conventions.' This is not a legal term but a description of Russia's practice of treating Ukrainians: under these 'conventions,' instead of protection there is torture; instead of medical care, suffering; instead of justice, sham trials; and instead of returning home, years in captivity or death," the ombudsman said.

He added that Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia are subjected to virtually all the forms of torture outlined in the Istanbul Protocol.

"Through the efforts of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, together with our institution, we have documented 695 forms of torture used against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages, as well as 860 cases of inadequate detention conditions. Ninety-five percent of Ukrainian prisoners of war have been subjected to torture, including systematic torture, in Russian prisons," Lubinets said.

According to him, these methods include beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, psychological abuse, attacks by dogs and mock executions.

Regarding Russia's sham trials of Ukrainian prisoners, Lubinets said that as of May 2026, at least 2,442 Ukrainian citizens had been verified as facing criminal prosecution, with 1,717 of them already sentenced.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has launched pretrial investigations in 635 criminal proceedings into the mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

"According to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, from February 24, 2022, to July 10, 2026, pretrial investigations were launched in 635 criminal proceedings over the mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war. This is also confirmed by reports from the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war received by the Ombudsman's Office," Lubinets said.

According to him, the reports include allegations of torture, physical and psychological abuse, inadequate medical care, insufficient and poor-quality food, as well as horrific detention conditions.

The ombudsman said such reports concern places where Ukrainians are being held in various regions of Russia.