Former Wagner mercenary now serving in Russia’s 155th Marine Brigade has revealed to Ukrainian forces that brutal killings of Ukrainian prisoners were ordered by Russian command in Kursk Oblast.
In Kursk Oblast Ukrainian forces from “Mahura”, 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, captured a Russian from the 155th Marine Brigade Pacific Fleet. UNIAN reports that this prisoner, Yuriy Pittkevich, was present when Ukrainian soldiers were executed.
Russian forces tortured and executed Ukrainian soldiers in the war. This was a grave violation of international humanitarian laws. In one particularly egregious case, Russian troops executed 16 Ukrainians who had surrendered in October 2024 near Pokrovsk, marking the largest mass execution of Ukrainian POWs known. These violent acts are not isolated, but seem to be part a larger strategy that is endorsed by the Russian military leadership in order to instill fear among Ukrainian forces and suppress their resistance. The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine launched investigations into these war crime.
The brigade reported that the captured Russian confessed he had seen the killing of two Ukrainian prisoners near the settlement of Glushkovo, at the end September. According to him the Ukrainian soldiers’ beheading and execution were carried out by his unit commander.
The “Mahura Brigade” reported that the prisoner had provided the name of the commander as well as those who were directly responsible for this war crime.
Pitkevich was revealed to have signed a contract in October 2022 with the Wagner Private Military Company while serving his sentence in a Russian penal settlement. Pitkevich, as a member of Wagner units in Donetsk Oblast, took part in the assaults against the towns of Soledar, Bakhmut, and other nearby towns. In June 2023 he took part in the “march” to Moscow, under the orders of Yevgeny Prgozhin, the leader of Wagner.
Pitkevich joined the 155th Marine Brigade in June of this year. He took part in combat as a grenade-launcher assistant when the brigade deployed to Kursk Oblast in August.
According to intelligence reports the 155th Separate Marine Brigade of Russian Federation has suffered major losses in Kursk Oblast. This has led to many soldiers abandoning their positions and refusing to follow orders.
Another captured Russian soldier had claimed that North Korean troops had opened fire on Russian forces within the Kursk Oblast. He said that his unit was based in the Russian village of Glushkovo, and there were no problems “until they arrived” and started shooting at the Russians. The captured explained that the Russian command had not responded to complaints. It is also easier to send Russian troops into attacks than North Koreans.
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