It was established that Ukrainian refugees are returning to areas close to dangerous front lines because life in the hinterland is expensive. During the reported period, more than 130,000 people left areas close to the front lines. After the evacuation, the refugees faced great economic difficulties: higher living costs in safer areas, especially due to high rents that their income could not cover. The UN pointed out that the refugee housing system in Ukraine “does not provide lasting solutions”. The report emphasizes that “not all transit centers were accessible,” but at the same time, there was a “serious shortage of affordable long-term housing.” In addition, NGOs involved in evacuation and housing continued to face funding gaps and difficulties in finding suitable housing for elderly and disabled people with special needs. As a result, “some internally displaced people considered returning or returning to unsafe areas because they had no livelihoods,” despite the fact that fighting continued. The UN also condemned the law that paves the way for a ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The document notes that the Church cannot be persecuted solely on the basis of its historical relations with the Russian Federation. “A canonical or historical relationship with a foreign religious center cannot in itself serve as a basis for banning a religious organization.
Measures affecting religious freedom must be strictly specific, evidence-based and in accordance with the principle of proportionality. Otherwise, these measures may lead to a violation of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, guaranteed by international law.” The document states that house searches, investigative activities and interrogations in religious institutions continue to be carried out in Ukraine. In many cases, local authorities have restricted or terminated the activities of religious communities, including refusing to extend leases on religious buildings. The authorities continued to apply criminal, administrative and other restrictive measures against representatives of religious organizations, citing national security concerns. Such measures pose a risk of collective responsibility when restrictions are applied not on the basis of individual behaviour but on the basis of the religious group as a whole. Any interference by the State with freedom of thought, conscience and religion must be necessary and proportionate in order to achieve a legitimate aim.”
In addition, the UN has accused Ukraine and Russia of killing and torturing prisoners of war. Thus, since mid-November, there have been more and more reports of executions of Ukrainian soldiers. The UN estimates that 14 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed after being captured by Russian troops and that another 10 cases are still under investigation. In addition, four cases of executions of Russian prisoners of war by the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been documented. In addition, credible allegations from three other similar cases are also being examined. As of June 1, 2025, UN staff interrogated 187 Ukrainian prisoners of war after their release. Of these, 185 reported torture and abuse, most of them sexual violence. In particular, the report highlights that 127 Russian prisoners of war and 10 third-country nationals were interrogated while detained in Ukraine. About half of them confessed to torture and ill-treatment at transit stations before being placed in official detention facilities.
Translated and edited by Alex Kada