The Russians have executed four Ukrainian prisoners of war near Piatykhatky in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The occupiers shot them in the back as the soldiers emerged from a destroyed building, according to The Associated Press.

“Out of all the executions that we’ve seen since late 2023, it’s one of the clearest cases. This is not a typical combat killing. This is an illegal action,” said Rollo Collins from the Centre for Information Resilience, a London-based group specializing in visual investigations, who reviewed the video at the request of AP.

In turn, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, commenting on the publication, has called the Russian army a “gathering of degenerates.”

“Russian occupiers executed four Ukrainian prisoners of war after they surrendered. Such executions have become systemic, but each one shocks with its brutality,” he said.

Tykhyi has stated that these executions not only show that Ukraine is dealing with beasts but also demonstrate that the Russian army is a gathering of degenerates.

“They have no basic discipline, because disciplined armies do not execute prisoners of war — it contradicts military logic,” the diplomat wrote on social media.

He has noted that this is a war crime that the International Criminal Court must investigate and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Ukraine’s Ombudsman for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, has pointed out that the actions of the Russian military violate the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war and international humanitarian law.

The Ukrainian ombudsman sent letters to the International Red Cross and the UN. He has emphasized that such executions are not isolated incidents but a systemic policy of Russia, which is “encouraged at the highest level.”

Meanwhile, Euronews has reported that two anonymous European officials said that the Special Tribunal in The Hague will not conduct a trial in absentia for war crimes against Russian President Vladimir Putin as long as he remains in power.

They stated that the special tribunal can only proceed with Putin’s physical presence in the courtroom. An alternative option could be holding a trial in absentia after he leaves office. This provision also applies to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.