Russian Invaders Shot Five Ukrainian POWs Near Vuhledar

22 November, 2024 Servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces. Illustration photo Law enforcement officials have launched a pre-trial investigation into the shooting of five captured Ukrainian soldiers by Russian troops.

The Prosecutor General's Office said that the crime was committed in the Donetsk region near Vuhledar. According to intelligence reports, on October 2, 2024, Russian military personnel stormed the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Vuhledar. During the attack, they captured 5 unarmed Ukrainian defenders.

One of them was killed in a forest belt. Then four of them were taken to the road at gunpoint, where they were also shot.

Ukrainian prisoners of war near Vuhledar. October 2, 2024.

Ukraine. Photo credits: Office of the Prosecutor General

A pre-trial investigation has been initiated in criminal proceedings over the commission of a war crime. "The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and is classified as a serious international crime," the Prosecutor General's Office added.

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets also emphasizes that this is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions. This is the second such report in a week. Previously, the Prosecutor General's Office reported that the Russian military had shot two captured Ukrainian soldiers in the Pokrovsk sector.

In early November, soldiers of the 47th Mechanized Brigade captured a Russian soldier who witnessed war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war.

In October, Sweden allocated EUR2.4 million to Ukraine to investigate war crimes committed by the Russian invaders.

The funds will be used to improve the digital infrastructure of justice and judicial proceedings in Ukraine, which will allow for more efficient prosecution of war crimes.