Over 140 detention sites for Ukrainian prisoners identified by MIHR

russian forces are holding Ukrainian military personnel and civilians captive in more than 140 known detention sites across both russian territory and temporarily occupied areas.

This information was shared by Lyubov Smachylo, Head of the Analytics Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), during the presentation of the study “Anatomy of Systematic Crime: How russia Persecutes Civilians” at the Media Center Ukraine.

“This number exceeds 140 [detention locations – Ed.]. We constantly update this map. It is refreshed weekly as soon as we confirm a new site of detention, and every identified location is verified to the fullest extent possible. Most of the information comes from documented witness testimonies,” Smachylo stated.

According to Smachylo, detention sites in temporarily occupied territories are often makeshift facilities, including basements of schools, administrative buildings, and shops—not formal prisons or isolation centers. By contrast, most detention facilities on russian territory are pre-trial detention centers.

Anna Rassamakhina, Head of MIHR’s War and Justice Department, added that Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians are often confined in the same locations.

“We came to the conclusion, while preparing the report, that the russians themselves make no distinction between prisoners of war and civilians. For them, these individuals are all enemies or at least potential threats. As a result, they are frequently detained together, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions,” Rassamakhina emphasized.

The study is based on 143 in-depth interviews with victims and witnesses, analyzed through the I-DOC database, a tool designed to connect individual episodes of crimes and establish broader patterns of abuse.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news