Statistics on Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War published statistics on the number of Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine during the full-scale invasion, stating that there are already more than 10 thousand. Over nearly four years of war, more than 10 thousand Russian invaders have fallen into Ukrainian captivity, with between 60 and 90 occupiers surrendering weekly.
Particularly, there has been an increase in the number of prisoners in 2025, when more Russian soldiers were captured than in 2022 and 2023 combined. In August 2024, the number of captives reached 350 persons per week. The highest number of Russians were captured in the Pokrovsk and Bakhmut districts of Donetsk region, as well as in Kursk and Polohy regions of Zaporizhia region.
Composition and conditions of prisoners of war
According to data regarding the composition of prisoners, 83% of them are enlisted soldiers aged 18 to 65 years. A significant portion, namely 76%, are contractors. 24% of prisoners reported coercion or deception during recruitment. It is also worth noting that:
- 40% of prisoners have criminal records;
- 7% of them have higher education;
- about 30% did not finish school;
- 38% were unemployed before the war.
Many of the prisoners have families: about half of them have children. Through exchanges, Ukraine managed to return more than 6 thousand prisoners of war to Russia. However, at least 237 former Russian prisoners have died or gone missing at the front after the exchange. Among the prisoners are four soldiers who are in captivity for the second time. Additionally, 2-3 prisoners weekly turn out to be foreigners from 40 countries.
It is worth noting that Russia holds Ukrainian civilians and military personnel in more than 300 locations, indicating a complicated human rights situation amid the war.
The increase in the number of Russian prisoners of war in 2025 may indicate a change in the tactics of both sides of the conflict, as well as the duration of the war, which continues to affect the lives of many people.
The situation with prisoner exchanges remains complicated, as the return of soldiers may be complicated by their further fate at the front. This also emphasizes the importance of international humanitarian law in the context of protecting human rights during the conflict.