The Commissioner for Missing Persons, Oleh Kotenko, recently made this statement.

Unfortunately, defenders die not only on the battlefield but also in captivity.  During the year of the Commissioner for Missing Persons activity, the search efforts helped locate and return the bodies of 19 defenders.

Injuries, disease, and inadequate medical care in captivity caused their deaths.

The bodies of the defenders were identified and handed over to their families to honor their memory further.