Kostin, Carstens discuss illegal detention of civilians by Russia

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin and United States Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens have met and discussed the illegal detention of civilians by Russian invaders.

The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum.

According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, the parties “discussed a challenging issue of the illegal detention of civilians by the aggressor – a flagrant violation of human rights, which is committed by the Russian military and the so-called occupation ‘authorities’ on a regular basis.”

Kostin emphasized that thousands of innocent people are remaining in Russian captivity. Many of them are facing inhumane treatment and torture.

“Our duty is to force the aggressor state to stop these crimes and ensure the return of detained persons to Ukraine,” Kostin noted.

A reminder that 4,337 persons have been confirmed as held prisoner by Russia since the war started, including 3,574 Ukrainian servicemen and 763 civilians. Some 1,953 of them have already returned to Ukraine.

Photo: Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office