Russian Forces Suspected of Executing Ukrainian POWs
Ukrainian authorities have reported that Russian forces may have killed a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in the Kursk Oblast region. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets made this claim on November 20.
According to Lubinets, the POWs were surrounded but he did not provide further details about the incident or how many people were killed. He did say that reports of Ukrainian POWs being murdered, tortured, and mistreated are becoming more common.
The international community must take action immediately, Lubinets said. Russia has once again broken the Geneva Convention rules for treating prisoners of war.
A video appears to show Russian forces killing Ukrainian POWs. The footage was taken by a drone camera and shows 10 unarmed people on the ground with at least five armed men standing over them. At one point, the soldiers start shooting at the people on the ground.
Heavy fighting has been happening in the Kursk region since Ukraine launched an attack there in early August. This is not the first time Russian forces have been accused of killing Ukrainian POWs.
In another incident, Russian troops are suspected of shooting captured Ukrainian military personnel in the Pokrovsk area of Ukraine. Former Prosecutor General Kostin called this a “deliberate policy” by Russia to kill Ukrainian service members while they are prisoners.
The execution of POWs is a serious breach of international law. As of November 6, at least 124 Ukrainian prisoners had been killed by Russian forces since 2022. In addition, at least 177 Ukrainian prisoners have died in Russian captivity.