Within the framework of the #No Peace Without Justice initiative, the editorial team of The Ukrainian Review submitted a request for access to public information to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine regarding the investigation of war crimes committed against Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The purpose of the request was to obtain officially confirmed data on the number of criminal proceedings, notices of suspicion, and cases referred to court. This information serves as important official evidence that crimes against prisoners of war are documented by the Ukrainian authorities as a distinct and systematic category of war crimes.
Official Data Received
According to the response of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, facts of the relevant crimes are registered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — “Violation of the laws and customs of war.” Separate statistical data on crimes committed specifically against prisoners of war is not compiled, as criminal reporting is conducted in an aggregated form by articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and by the territorial location of the committed offenses.
Despite the availability of detailed information within individual criminal proceedings, under the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information,” only data that already exists in a formalized form within the established reporting framework may be made public. For this reason, the information provided on war crimes against prisoners of war is limited to aggregated indicators.
Nevertheless, the available official data make it possible to assess the real scale of the problem. According to information provided by the Department for Countering Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict, between 24 February 2022 and 30 December 2025, the prosecution authorities of Ukraine exercised procedural oversight in more than 700 criminal proceedings concerning war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war.
As of the end of 2025:
– 86 individuals had been formally notified of suspicion;
– 17 indictments had been referred to court against 22 individuals.
These figures confirm that inhuman treatment, torture, and executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war are documented by Ukrainian law enforcement authorities as a systematic practice qualifying as war crimes.
Cooperation with International Justice Mechanisms
The response also states that following the documentation, registration, and investigation of such crimes, the Office of the Prosecutor General transmits relevant materials to the International Criminal Court. This cooperation takes place under conditions of confidentiality, which limits the public disclosure of details.
As a result, a significant challenge persists. Due to insufficient transparency and the absence of open statistical data, the international community cannot fully grasp the true scale of these crimes or comprehend their systematic nature.
The official response, which The Ukrainian Review received from the Office of the Prosecutor General, serves as further confirmation that sustained international attention, systematic coverage of war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war, and public pressure from human rights institutions, governments, and international organizations remain critically important. These efforts are essential to ensuring proper legal assessment and preventing impunity for crimes committed.
