Ukraine Holds Hundreds of Foreign Fighters Captured from Russian Forces Outside Prisoner Exchanges

Hundreds of foreign fighters captured by Ukrainian forces remain in Ukrainian prisons because Moscow refuses to include them in prisoner exchanges, Le Monde reported. One detention center in western Ukraine holds the majority of its detainees from Russia or various republics of the Russian Federation. The facility includes a small church, a Muslim prayer space, and buildings with drab façades.

A wall of portraits of Ukrainian figures provides the only color. Ukrainian authorities have identified prisoners of war of 48 different nationalities at the facility, Petro Yatsenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said on May 28.

Yatsenko stated that authorities deliberately keep statistics on foreign prisoners vague and do not release exact figures by country.

Most foreign prisoners of war held by Ukraine are citizens of Central Asian countries, Yatsenko said. Russia is actively recruiting migrant workers living on its territory. More than 28,000 foreigners have signed contracts with the Russian Federation's armed forces since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to Ukrainian data.

Nearly 13,000 of those are citizens of Central Asian countries.