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Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, thousands of civilians living on occupied territories have been imprisoned and tortured, a report published Sept. 23, 2025 by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights lays out. Many of them were swept up in a filtration system operating on a model that Moscow has been developing since World War II. People sent to filtration camps on suspicion of disloyalty are beaten, tortured, and killed. Often, their fate remains unknown even to their families. The goal of the system is to neutralize potential resistance, intimidate civilians, and recruit potential agents.
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Relatives did not know where their loved ones were being held, let alone the reasons for their detention. During this time, the captives were interrogated — in almost every case with the use of violence and torture.
Some detainees were ultimately released. Others were executed without trial. A third group died under torture, and their bodies, showing signs of violent death, were found only after the territories were liberated.
Detainees who drew the particular attention of Russian security services were taken to Russia or to facilities in annexed Crimea, where criminal cases were opened against them. Some disappeared without a trace, and in many instances, it is still unknown whether a given person is being held incommunicado or was killed by Russian security forces.
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