What changed

B100303/2025

B100306/2025

European Parliament resolution on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians

(2025/2710(RSP))

– having regard to the UN Charter,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Ukraine and on Russia, in particular those adopted following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula on 19 February 2014,

– having regard to the UN Charter, the Hague Conventions, the Geneva Conventions ofand 1949their additional protocols, and the additionalRome protocolsStatute thereto,of the International Criminal Court (ICC),

– having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights,

– having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part, and to the accompanying Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the European Union and Ukraine, signed in 2014,

– having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,

– having regard to the European Council’s decision of 14 December 2023 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, following the Commission’s positive recommendation of 8 November 2023 in this regard,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/792 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 February 2024 establishing the Ukraine Facility, and to other forms of EU support for Ukraine,

– having regard to the reports of the UN High Commissioner forall Humanrelevant Rightsresolutions (OHCHR),by the UN Commission ofUnited InquiryNations onGeneral UkraineAssembly and theSecurity UNCouncil, Specialin Rapporteursparticular onUN theGeneral humanAssembly rightsResolution situationES-11/7 inadopted theon occupied24 PalestinianFebruary territory,2025,

– having regard to the NATO Washington Summit Declaration of 10 July 2024 and he Hague Summit Declaration of 25 June 2025,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 24 February 2022, has caused immense human suffering, including by killing more than 13 000 civilians and injuring over 32 000, and killing or wounding hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and through the indiscriminate bombing and destruction of Ukrainian civil infrastructure;

A. whereas the Russian Federation has been waging a brutal, illegal, unprovoked and unjustified full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine since 24 February 2022;

B. whereas the war in eastern Ukraine, which began in 2014, has also resulted in thousands of civilian victims and caused enormous human suffering;

B. whereas Russia’s aggression against Ukraine did not begin in February 2022, but in 2014, with the illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions;

C. whereas the wars have displaced over 14 million Ukrainians, both internally and across Europe, and left entire regions devastated, while also being used to justify increased militarisation and massive arms spending across the EU;

C. whereas Russia’s aggression against Ukraine caused the largest forced displacement of civilians in Europe since World War II, with 10 million Ukrainians – mostly women and children – displaced, including 7 million who have found refuge abroad;

D. whereas Russia is currently detaining over 16 000 Ukrainian civilians, including elected officials, journalists and human rights defenders, and at least 8 000 prisoners of war (POWs), often holding them incommunicado and in violation of the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions; whereas humane treatment and the legal rights of POWs are enshrined in the Geneva Conventions;

D. whereas Russia continues unabated to commit heinous war crimes against innocent civilians; whereas according to the Ukrainian authorities, approximately 16 000 Ukrainian civilians are known to be currently detained in Russia, although the real figures are likely to be significantly higher; whereas more than 70 000 Ukrainians – including civilians, children, and military personnel – are officially listed as missing;

E. whereas Ukraine is also detaining Russian POWs, and both parties are bound by international law to treat detainees humanely and respect their legal rights;

E. whereas, since February 2022, the Russian authorities have systematically carried out enforced disappearances against large numbers of Ukrainian civilians, detaining individuals with no military affiliation on baseless and fabricated charges; with their fate and whereabouts remaining unknown, leaving their families in agonising uncertainty;

F. whereas more than 5 700 POWs have been exchanged between Russia and Ukraine since 2022;

F. whereas, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 29 civilians have died in custody in Russian detention facilities, and 170 have been executed in areas under Russian control since February 2022; whereas according to the Centre for Civil Liberties, at least 7 000 civilians are being held captive in the Russian Federation and in the occupied territories of Ukraine;

G. whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross has inspected the conditions of detention for Russian POWs in Ukraine; whereas the Russian authorities continue to deny access to the Ukrainian POWs and civilian detainees held by Russia, thus violating international humanitarian law;

G. whereas throughout the process of enforced disappearances, Russian authorities have consistently failed to inform the families of the fate or location of their loved ones; whereas multiple responses from various authorities have likewise failed to provide any meaningful information;

H. whereas the EU has applied a comprehensive sanctions regime against Russia, including measures targeting energy, finance and dual-use goods, but has failed to apply even symbolic or limited sanctions against Israel, despite overwhelming evidence of large-scale violations of international law;

H. whereas enforced disappearances by Russia are part of a widespread, systematic, and coordinated assault against Ukraine’s civilian population;

I. whereas since October 2023, Israel’s military assault on Gaza has killed over 56 000 Palestinians and injured over 125 000, including children, destroyed much of the civilian infrastructure and displaced more than 2 million people; whereas 3 300 of the more than 10 000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including more than 950 minors, are currently being held in administrative detention, without charge or trial, and are often subjected to torture or beatings or die in custody, as documented by independent human rights groups; whereas the destruction of hospitals, refugee camps, universities and water infrastructure in Gaza constitutes collective punishment and a potential war crime under international law;

I. whereas in April 2024, the authorities of the Russian Federation announced a massive increase in investment in penal infrastructure from RUB 105 billion to RUB 1.113 trillion, equivalent to an increase of approximately EUR 11 billion, which includes building new pre-trial detention centres and correctional facilities in Russia and in the occupied territories of Ukraine;

J. whereas the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the current Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), Kaja Kallas, while having repeatedly condemned Russian war crimes, have failed to condemn Israeli crimes and have instead publicly praised the Israeli Government and military under the pretext of ‘self-defence’, undermining the EU’s credibility and possibly breaching EU and international legal obligations;

J. whereas the Russian authorities have systematically employed torture and other forms of inhumane and degrading treatment against numerous illegally detained Ukrainian civilians; whereas the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has found evidence of Russia using rape and sexual violence as means of torture against both male and female detainees;

K. whereas the EU continues to preach a rules-based order, but applies international law selectively, issuing sanctions and arms embargoes against Russia while deepening military cooperation with Israel, a state accused of genocide, apartheid and war crimes by multiple UN and civil society and human rights organisations;

K. whereas Russia refuses to disclose the number of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) currently being held in Russia; whereas Russian authorities are blatantly failing to meet their obligations under the Geneva Conventions to allow international representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit the prisoners and to transmit the relevant information to the ICRC, state authorities and the families of POWs;

L. whereas the continued logic of military escalation, lethal weapons deliveries and third-country involvement risks prolonging the war in Ukraine and increasing the suffering of civilians, while closing the space for peace diplomacy and ceasefire negotiations;

L. whereas Ukrainian POWs and civilian captives are being subjected to starvation, denial of medical care, beatings, various types of coercion, and physical, sexual and psychological violence;

M. whereas a just and lasting peace can only be achieved through diplomacy, ceasefire and adherence to the principles of the UN Charter, not through further militarisation or indefinite war;

M. whereas according to the Ukrainian authorities, more than 150 Ukrainian POWs have been executed after having surrendered; whereas there has been a sharp increase in executions of Ukrainian POWs by Russian forces since 2024; whereas the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is currently investigating the execution of 268 Ukrainian POWs;

1. Reiterates its condemnation of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians and infrastructure; demands that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally cease all attacks against residential areas and civilian infrastructure; demands that Russia permanently cease violating or threatening the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine; condemns the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian population by the Russian army and the indiscriminate destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure; calls, after 11 years of war in Ukraine, for a just and lasting peace, which requires taking into account the causes of the conflict and putting an end to the strategy of instigating and prolonging the war;

N. whereas on 23-25 May a three-day prisoner exchange took place following agreements reached between Ukraine and Russia, whereby 1 000 Ukrainian and 1 000 Russian POWs were released;

2. Demands the immediate release of all Ukrainian civilians, including children, detained by Russian forces, and insists that the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN bodies be granted full access to all detention sites; condemns the use of detainees and POWs for propaganda, staged interviews, and coerced public statements; strongly condemns the execution of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners; calls for the EU, its Member States and international partners to increase pressure on Russia to comply with its international obligations, particularly the Geneva Conventions, and to allow international organisations access to prisoners;

O. whereas according to the ‘Bring Kids Back UA’ and the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab initiative, since February 2022 around 20 000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia and Belarus or detained in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, with only 1 366 returned and 637 confirmed dead; whereas the real figures are assumed to be much higher, as these transfers and deportations continue;

3. Expresses deep alarm at the widespread use of torture, sexual violence and ill-treatment in detention facilities and calls for a UN-led international inquiry into these abuses; insists that all POWs, on both sides, be treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law;

P. whereas, on 17 March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for their responsibility in the war crime of unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children;

4. Welcomes the ongoing prisoner exchanges and encourages future agreements, especially involving wounded combatants, minors and arbitrarily detained civilians;

1. Condemns, in the strongest possible terms, Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine; demands that Russia immediately terminate all military activities in Ukraine and unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine;

5. Values the direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine that is ongoing in Istanbul as an important step that should make an effective contribution to advancing a negotiation process that addresses the causes of the conflict, paving the way for a just and lasting peace in Europe;

2. Confirms its unwavering commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders, and reiterates its policy of non-recognition of Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia, including Crimea; strongly underlines Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence, in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which entails the right to strike military targets on Russian soil;

6. Denounces the EU’s blatant double standards in applying international law, particularly its unwillingness to apply any form of sanctions, conditionality or suspension of agreements with Israel, despite grave and ongoing human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank; condemns the mass arbitrary detention of Palestinians, including children, and demands their immediate release;

3. Reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the heroic defence of their nation, their land, and shared European values; reiterates its belief that a strong, independent and democratic Ukraine is vital for Europe’s security, stability and prosperity;

7. Deplores the EU leadership’s silence and complicity, particularly that of Commission President von der Leyen and VP/HR Kaja Kallas, who have refused to condemn the Israeli Government for the use of starvation and siege warfare and the killing of thousands of civilians in Gaza;

4. Condemns Vladimir Putin’s revisionist and imperialist rhetoric, treacherous propaganda and barbaric ideology; denounces the systematic attempts by the Russian government to erase Ukraine’s language, culture and identity; condemns the latest public statement during the St Petersburg Economic Forum again claiming that the Russians and Ukrainians are one people and suggesting that where Russian soldiers’ boots stand becomes Russia;

8. Warns that such silence may constitute political and moral complicity in war crimes, and demands that the EU’s policy toward Israel be reviewed immediately;

5. Stresses that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shattered peace and stability in Europe and gravely undermined global security; underscores that Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to European security;

9. Stresses that sanctions and restrictive measures must be based on international law, not geopolitical alignment, and that the failure to sanction Israel while sanctioning Russia undermines the EU’s credibility and legal coherence; calls for a fundamental reassessment of EU external action to ensure consistency, legality and universal respect for human rights and international humanitarian law; calls for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, an immediate end to all military cooperation and a comprehensive EU arms embargo on Israel, as was applied against Russia;

6. Reiterates that Russia bears sole responsibility for its war of aggression and that there can be no impunity for violations of human rights, war crimes or other breaches of international law committed by Russian forces and officials; expresses deep outrage at Russia’s brutal attacks on civilians and its indiscriminate targeting of civilian infrastructure; demands that Russia immediately cease all brutal attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population and critical infrastructure; stresses that the systematic and deliberate targeting of civilians constitutes part of a genocidal strategy orchestrated and executed by the Russian government;

10. Expresses grave concern over the escalation of the war in Ukraine and calls on all parties to urgently prioritise de-escalation, ceasefire and diplomatic solutions over continued arms transfers and military escalation;

7. Fully supports the ICC in its ongoing investigations of the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Russian Federation; welcomes the recent agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine; emphasises that all those responsible for war crimes perpetrated in Ukraine must be held accountable and stresses that justice is essential for any sustainable peace;

11. Stresses that peace and security are not achieved by promoting a policy of confrontation, arms escalation and war, but through diplomacy, dialogue and the political resolution of conflicts, through collective security and through respect for the principles of the UN Charter and international law;

8. Reiterates its condemnation of Russia’s forcible deportation, illegal detention and inhumane treatment of countless Ukrainian civilians; demands that Russia immediately provide families with accurate information regarding the whereabouts and health conditions of detainees and subsequently calls for the immediate release of all Ukrainian civilians currently held captive by the Russian authorities; underscores that the forced displacement, unlawful detention, and mistreatment of Ukrainian civilians exemplify the intrinsic brutality of the Russian regime and its flagrant disregard for human life; strongly condemns the gruesome tactics deployed by the Russian authorities against both Ukrainian civilians and POWs; deplores the widespread and systematic use of terror in Ukraine’s occupied territories, aimed at intimidating the civilian population, stifling resistance and political dissent, suppressing civic activism, and eradicating the Ukrainian language and national identity;

12. Stresses that peace and security mean improving wages and pensions, ensuring a high standard of healthcare, education, social security and public services, guaranteeing the right to housing, and improving living conditions, and not promoting militarism, arms escalation and war;

9. Strongly condemns the violent actions of the Russian Federation and the complicity of Belarus in the mistreatment of Ukrainian children, including murder, torture and criminal prosecution, forced transfer and deportation, sexual abuse and exploitation, forced Russification and militarisation; denounces the forced imposition of Russian citizenship on deported children and their state-sponsored adoption by Russian families as part of a deliberate policy of forced assimilation; demands that Russia disclose the identities and locations of all deported Ukrainian children and ensure their safe, unconditional return; urges the EU to hold those responsible to account and to sanction individuals and entities implicated in these crimes;

13. Express its opposition to the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 and the outcome of the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, where NATO members made a commitment to invest 5 % of GDP annually in defence and security-related spending by 2035, and demands that EU resources be redirected from military budgets towards civilian reconstruction, social and climate justice, energy security and humanitarian support, in Ukraine, the EU and globally;

10. Demands that, in line with Russia’s obligations under the respective Geneva Conventions, Russia grant international representatives of the ICRC immediate access to POW camps and other sites where Ukrainian soldiers or civilians are being held captive;

14. Supports the efforts of neutral mediators to broker dialogue, ceasefires and negotiations between the parties to end the war; underlines that any genuine peace negotiations must be conducted in good faith and include Ukraine; calls for negotiation channels to be opened with a view to achieving a political solution to the conflict in Ukraine, a response to the need for collective security and disarmament in Europe and compliance with the principles of the UN Charter and the Final Act of the Helsinki Conference;

11. Reaffirms the EU’s steadfast commitment to the reconstruction of Ukraine and reiterates its readiness to contribute to rebuilding Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure; stresses the strategic importance of the Ukraine Facility in reinforcing Ukraine’s resilience, accelerating its recovery, and supporting its path toward sustainable development and EU membership;

15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the Government of Ukraine, the Government of the Russian Federation, the State of Israel, and the Palestinian Authority.

12. Condemns the Russian State Duma’s protocol adopted on 24 June 2025 allowing the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to deploy their troops on the territory of other members in the event of armed conflict, threats, crisis situations, and military exercises; condemns this step as a clear attempt by Russia to further scale up its relentless attacks on Ukraine by forcibly mobilising troops from neighbouring and allied states;

13. Condemns Belarus’s direct involvement in Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine; welcomes the release of Belarus opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners; recalls that over 1 400 political prisoners continue to be unlawfully detained in Belarus and calls for their immediate and unconditional release;

14. Commends the Ukrainian armed forces for their recent offensives near Toretsk and Kherson and pays tribute to their extraordinary resilience and determination;

15. Urges the Member States and their defence industries to invest in and partner with Ukraine’s defence industry in order to maximise the full potential of its production capabilities and to integrate it into EU defence initiatives and make it part of the European defence technological and industrial base; welcomes Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen its domestic defence industrial base, including through the production of drones and other critical technologies;

16. Underscores the significant damage EU economic sanctions are inflicting upon Russia; urges the current momentum to be taken advantage of to further weaken the Russian economy as it heads towards recession;

17. Draws attention to recent statements by Russia’s Minister for Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov and Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, who publicly addressed the risk of a looming recession and the precarious foundations underpinning Russia’s current growth rates;

18. Calls for all necessary steps to be taken to avoid the circumvention of sanctions, in particular by targeting Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ vessels; calls for a full ban on Russian liquefied natural gas, oil and raw materials; underlines the importance of adopting the 18th sanctions package without further delay; calls on Member States that are blocking the adoption of the latest sanctions package to follow other Member States that successfully found alternative sources of gas deliveries;

19. Recalls that military support to Ukraine must be sufficient to stop Russia’s war of aggression and allow Ukraine to liberate all its people, re-establish full control over its territory within its internationally recognised borders and deter any further aggression by Russia; recalls that Europe has already supported Ukraine with EUR 50 billion in military aid but underlines that further assistance is required and that such support now depends largely on Europe itself; urges the Member States to provide more arms and ammunition to Ukraine before any negotiations are concluded; denounces any attempts to put pressure on Ukraine to cede occupied territory, in which the population is exposed to continued repression, violence, forced disappearances, illegal detentions, deportations and other forms of systemic terror;

20. Expresses its full support for any efforts directed towards achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine on terms that are acceptable to Ukraine and its people, preserving its sovereignty and territorial integrity and ensuring the country’s future security is not undermined, prosecuting those responsible for war crimes, and securing reparations; stresses that peace negotiations must be preceded by an unconditional ceasefire;

21. Stresses that in the light of the shift in the United States’ stance on Russia’s war of aggression, the EU and its Member States must remain Ukraine’s primary strategic allies and should reinforce their leadership role in supporting Ukraine’s struggle for sovereignty, peace and justice;

22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the President, Government and parliament of Ukraine, and to Russia and Belarus.