Ukrainian refugees arriving at the border crossing at Medyka, Poland
(Picture: AP)Russia has abducted and detained up to 36 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations.
A spokesperson for the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights told the BBC that many of those targeted by Russian troops have been journalists and local community representatives.
Often their families are given no details of their whereabouts.
Viktoriia Roshchyna was one of those captured by Russian troops.
She was released six days later after a video was posted on pro-Russian Telegram outlets where she thanked Moscow’s troops for saving her life.
Svetlana Zalizetskaya, a journalist in the occupied city of Melitopol, has accused Russian troops of abducting her 75-year-old father.
She has been a critic of the Russian invasion and is the director of RIA Melitopol, a local new agency.
Mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Federov also claimed he was taken captive by Russian troops and said detainees were being tortured.
Mr Fedorov told local media: “They didn’t touch me physically but trust me, seven armed men were enough to make their position clear.
In Melitopol aged father of journalist Svetlana Zalizetska was taken hostage by probably FSB people. They say they will release him only if Svetlana gives herself up. She is not in Melitopol anymore. pic.twitter.com/9MDLdKTial
— Andrei Kurkov (@AKurkov) March 23, 2022
“In the next cell someone was being tortured - there were screams which generated plenty of psychological pressure.
“They try to accuse them of sabotage and squeeze their fingers in the door to make them say which army they’re from, but they’re just local residents."
Ukrainian MP Alyona Shkrum said she had been warned that she was likely to be on a Russian hit-list.
She said: “There are two lists.
"A list of people to be killed as members of parliament, they are mostly people who Russia feel they cannot co-operate with. And a list of people to be taken hostage and taken to Moscow and forced to vote on something.
"I also have sanctions against me in Russia, so I presume I am on the list to be killed or captured,"
According to the UN’s latest figures, 1,035 civilians have been killed, while a further 1,650 have been injured as of March 24.
Of that number, 48 children have died.
Ukraine’s prosecutor-general Iryna Venediktova, has opened the country’s first official rape investigation following reports a Russian soldier sexually assaulted a woman in Brovary, east of Kyiv.
Although this has not been confirmed by western sources, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba also warned civilians had been sexually assaulted by Russian forces since the beginning of the invasion last month.
