Seven Ukrainian Prisoners of War Reportedly Shot by Russians, According to Kiev

In an official statement released by Kiev, it was reported that Russian troops had allegedly executed seven Ukrainian prisoners of war. These events were said to have taken place on Saturday, close to the city of Bakhmut, which is currently under Russian control, situated in the eastern region of Ukraine. The Ukrainian human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, made this information public on the social media platform, Telegram, on Sunday evening.

Lubinets referenced a video recording as proof of his claims. This video purportedly depicted Ukrainian soldiers surrendering, their hands raised in an act of submission and defeat.

According to Lubinets, the Russians were expected to capture these surrendering soldiers, but instead they chose to shoot them without any mercy. However, it’s significant to note that this information, which originated from Kiev, couldn’t be independently verified at the time. Lubinets branded this alleged execution as a “war crime”, asserting that this case must be seen as another violation of international humanitarian law committed by Russia. He demanded that this be officially recognized and condemned.

Lubinets expressed his intention to formally reach out to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross about this matter. He leveled severe accusations against the Russian armed forces, stating that they have shown complete disregard for the Geneva Conventions and the customary rules of war, treating them as if they “mean nothing”.

It’s important to mention that this is not the first time such allegations have been made against Russian troops. Just a few days prior to this incident, they were accused of executing at least six wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were unable to be evacuated in time during the takeover of Avdiivka. In this case as well, Kiev based its accusations on video footage captured by a drone. However, similar to the recent allegations, these claims could not be independently verified either.