The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has documented an “alarming rise” in the execution of captured Ukrainian soldiers by Russian armed forces, Reuters reports.
According to the mission’s statement, 79 executions have been recorded across 24 separate incidents since the end of August 2023. The monitoring body reports that many Ukrainian soldiers were shot dead immediately after surrendering or while in Russian custody, with witness accounts describing the killing of unarmed and injured soldiers.
The executions, which constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law, took place in areas where Russian offensive operations were ongoing.
Danielle Bell, head of the mission, said that some Russian officials “have explicitly called for inhumane treatment, and even execution” of captured Ukrainian soldiers.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to the findings on X, stating that “Russia’s horrific executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war demonstrate that Ukraine confronts true beasts.” He called for “new and effective international legal tools, and concrete steps to hold the perpetrators accountable.“
The UN body based its findings on analyzed video and photographic material from both Ukrainian and Russian sources showing executions or dead bodies, along with detailed witness interviews.
The mission also allegedly documented one case of Ukrainian armed forces executing a wounded and incapacitated Russian soldier in 2024. The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office is investigating dozens of cases of Ukrainian military personnel executions by Russian forces.
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