Ombudsman warns against circulating personal data of Ukrainian POWs, their families.

Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, urges citizens to refrain from publicly sharing personal data of prisoners of war, civilians illegally held by Russia, and their relatives.

Lubinets addressed the issue via Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"I once again warn against the public distribution of personal data of prisoners of war, civilians illegally held by Russia, and their relatives," wrote Lubinets.

According to the ombudsman, "besides fraudsters who, for the sake of profit, extort money from families who are waiting for their loved ones to be released from captivity and illegal custody, Russia’s intelligence agencies are also actively interested in such data."

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"They need the information in order to turn the already unbearable conditions of our defenders into even worse ones. "Humiliation or intimidation (…) can cause even more damage than physical effects," Lubinets said.

He added that "at peaceful rallies and on social media, all must be done to ensure that the enemy does not get hold of personal data – names, ranks, call signs, brigade numbers, units, deployment locations, photos, etc."

"The enemy is insidious and lurks everywhere. And their main goal has not changed – they want Ukrainians and Ukraine to cease to exist. Protect each other and your personal data. Remember that the search effort to release Ukrainian defenders, civilians, and children is run free of charge only by government-authorized agencies," Lubinets emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported, earlier, the Unified Register of persons who went missing amid war already contains data on more than 37,000 individuals.