Russia has released two ethnic Hungarian Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary following a meeting between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a move condemned by Kyiv as a 'provocation'.

Putin claimed the two soldiers were "forcibly conscripted" by Ukraine and that he personally made the decision to release them.

Not only is the use of Ukrainian POWs, among them ethnic Hungarians in Russian propaganda messages a violation of the Geneva Convention on the protection of POWs, so is the way Hungarian public television has covered this.

A Hungarian public media program on the horrors of war featured videos of Hungarian-speaking Ukrainian prisoners of war praising the Russian army's good treatment.

A Russian general is facing accusations of boasting about torturing and executing Ukrainian prisoners of war, allegedly sending photos of severed ears to his wife.

Russia's transfer of two captured Ukrainian soldiers to the Hungarian side is considered a gross violation of international humanitarian law.

Ukraine's human rights commissioner stated that Russian forces executed 337 Ukrainian prisoners of war by the end of 2025.

Former Ukrainian prisoners of war testified in the Saxon state parliament in Germany, detailing systematic torture by Russian forces, including the use of cold and hunger as weapons.

A former Ukrainian prisoner of war, Oleksijs Anuļa, alleges that Russian special services attempted to abduct him in Geneva, highlighting the ongoing issues of torture and psychological pressure faced by Ukrainian POWs in Russian custody.

An RFE/RL investigation revealed messages showing a Russian general, promoted by Putin, sent his wife a photo of severed ears taken from Ukrainian prisoners of war, which she reportedly likened to beer snacks.

As of the end of 2025, Russian forces had executed 337 Ukrainian prisoners of war, according to Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets.

How Russia blackmails the desperate families of Ukrainian POWs  The Kyiv Independent

A Russian soldier has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Kyiv court for committing a war crime by executing two Ukrainian prisoners of war.

A Russian general, promoted by Putin, sent his wife a photo of severed ears from Ukrainian POWs, to which she responded by comparing them to beer snacks, as revealed by RFE/RL.