Russian forces are increasingly opting to execute Ukrainian soldiers rather than holding them as POWs, Ukraine's prosecutor general office alleges. It tells the Washington Post that in violation of the Geneva Conventions, Russian troops are more often killing Ukrainian soldiers as they attempt to surrender, in some cases shooting them point blank. "Since the end of last year, the number of such crimes has been steadily increasing," the prosecutor general's office said, with officials saying nearly three dozen such killings have occurred in recent weeks.
They allege that on Sept. 30, a group of 16 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after surrendering near the eastern city of Pokrovsk. "After they lined up, the occupiers deliberately opened fire on them to kill them," the prosecutor general's office wrote on Telegram. "The wounded, who showed signs of life, were finished off at close range with automatic rounds." Officials say they confirmed that incident using video footage taken by drone. This month, the BBC reported DeepState shared drone footage that appears to show nine dead Ukrainian troops, clad in underwear and lying face down in Kursk.
"We have evidence that these are not isolated cases, but elements of a deliberate policy, not only tolerated but encouraged by the Russian military and political leadership," the prosecutor general's office said. "It's possible that there is some institutional incentive which encourages such actions, or then the Russians simply care less as the war progresses and they don't want to deal with POWs in difficult places," military analyst Emil Kastehelmi tells Newsweek. It cites a Ukrainian official as saying they believe 80% of Russian executions of Ukrainian POWs on the battlefield throughout the war have happened in 2024. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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