Official announcements or reports from international bodies such as the United Nations or International Criminal Court

Russian Forces Execute Nine Ukrainian POWs Near Zelenyi Shlyakh on October 10

Oct 13, 2024, 08:29 AM

Russian forces reportedly executed nine Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region on October 10, according to multiple Ukrainian sources, including the 1st Tank Brigade and the crowd-sourced monitoring site DeepState. The soldiers, who were drone operators and their associates, were ambushed near the village of Zelenyi Shlyakh. After a brief engagement, they surrendered according to the rules of war but were allegedly disarmed, undressed, and shot at point-blank range. The Ombudsman of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed the incident. Ukrainian officials have condemned the act as a gross violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War and of all customs and rules of war. Witness statements suggest that the Russian command has issued execution orders for Ukrainian POWs. This incident adds to the growing number of Ukrainian prisoners of war who have died in Russian captivity, with at least 177 deaths reported since the start of the full-scale invasion.