Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv accuses Moscow of executing four prisoners of war in Donetsk; alleges war crime
Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine on Thursday (Oct 24) claimed that Russian forces have executed four Ukrainian PoWs (Prisoner of War) captured in the eastern Donetsk region. This is the latest war crime allegation against Moscow since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war over two years ago.
Four Ukrainian servicemen executed, claims Kyiv
The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office in a statement, posted on its website, said that four Ukrainian servicemen fighting in the national guard had been captured by Russia on October 6 near the Donetsk region town of Selydove.
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"According to operational data, on October 6, 2024, four soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine performed service and combat tasks at positions in the Selydove area. Around 1:00 p.m., the occupying forces launched an assault on the fortifications, during which they captured our defenders. Later, representatives of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation recorded the interrogation of the wounded, unarmed National Guardsmen on video."
"The next day, the Defence Forces regained their lost positions and found the bodies of the killed Ukrainian servicemen during a search operation," added the prosecutor's statement.
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Kyiv said that a war crime probe had been launched into the incident and said it was a "gross violation" of the Geneva Conventions.
"The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and is classified as a serious international crime," added the statement.
Moscow is yet to respond to the claims by Kyiv.
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Russia-Ukraine war and war crimes
Previously, in March 2023, a video of Moscow executing a PoW had gone viral.
In it, a captured Ukrainian soldier could be seen shouting "Glory to Ukraine" moments before being executed by a Russian shooting squad.
Since the start of the war, both Russia and Ukraine have charged each other with committing war crimes. The United Nations, as perAFP, has also stated that it has documented several incidents of violations of international humanitarian law against prisoners of war on both sides. This includes cases of summary execution of both Russian and Ukrainian prisoners.
(With inputs from agencies)
