According to an independent expert mission, more than 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers are still held captive by Russian forces. This was reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) led the investigation and discovered that 2,577 Ukrainian soldiers are being held by Russian authorities. OSCE experts monitor the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war. The independent experts are expected to publish a report detailing Russia's violations in late September.

Russia regularly violates international law, including the Geneva Conventions, in its treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General reported in July that at least 273 prisoners of war have been executed by Russia.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has not yet confirmed the status of 680 people, including 91 civilians. Meanwhile, eight cases are known in which prisoners of war were identified as deceased when they were initially classified as prisoners.