Ukraine holds captive foreign fighters from 51 countries who fought for Russia

Ukraine is holding dozens of foreign fighters from 51 countries who fought on the side of the Russian army, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said at a meeting with the heads of Ukrainian diplomatic missions.

"This is precisely why it is important to tell the world honestly and openly that fighting on Russia's side carries real legal consequences," he stressed.

According to the British broadcaster BBC, by early July this year at least 3,589 foreigners from forty countries had been killed fighting for Russia. Lubinets noted that some of the captured foreign fighters are currently being held in Ukrainian facilities.

Earlier, AFP reported on a prison in western Ukraine where foreign nationals who fought for Russia are being held. The prisoners come from all corners of the globe and say they joined the Russian army because of financial promises, bogus job offers, or outright pressure.

Some prisoners from African countries said they were initially lured with civilian job offers and then forced to sign contracts with the Russian military. Several countries, including Togo, have already advised their citizens against traveling to Russia.

AFP also cites other prisoners' stories: an Italian man reportedly fled his home country to avoid trial for child rape; a man from Sri Lanka said he would never have ended up at war had he been able to earn a decent living at home. And a prisoner from Uzbekistan claims he was forced to sign a military contract after Russian police accused him of drug trafficking.

Besides the fate of foreign mercenaries, Lubinets also raised with Ukrainian diplomats the issue of Ukrainian children deported or forcibly removed by Russia. According to his data, 20,610 confirmed cases have been recorded, of which 2,425 children have been returned. "I have called on Ukrainian ambassadors to help arrange visits by international delegations to children's rights protection centers. Seeing the consequences of Russian crimes with your own eyes is far more powerful than reading about them in the news," the ombudsman said.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz