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Ukraine Probes Alleged Execution of Nine POWs by Russian Forces in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk Regions

Nov 28, 2024, 06:13 PM

Ukrainian officials have launched investigations into the alleged execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, there are currently 53 criminal cases related to the alleged executions of 177 Ukrainian POWs. On November 24, 2024, near the village of Novodarivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian servicemen allegedly shot five or six unarmed Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered. Investigators have obtained a video purportedly showing the Ukrainian soldiers forced to lie on the ground unarmed before being shot with automatic weapons. In a separate incident, Russian forces are suspected of executing four more unarmed Ukrainian POWs near the village of Petrivka in the Donetsk region during a Russian offensive. Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets announced in a Telegram post that Kyiv has written to the United Nations requesting an investigation into these alleged war crimes. The total number of Ukrainian POWs executed in these incidents is reported to be at least nine. The killings of POWs constitute a violation of the Geneva Conventions and are classified as serious breaches of international humanitarian law. There are concerns that these incidents may indicate a deliberate strategy or an order from Russian command not to take prisoners.