Ukraine’s ombudsman appeals to UN and Red Cross amid Russians shooting prisoners of war

Ukraine's Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, addressed official letters to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross due to the shooting of Ukrainian prisoners of war near the village of Krynky in the Kherson region by Russian troops.

The ombudsman wrote this on his Facebook page, Rubryka reports.

Lubinets noted that it is currently unknown when and where the crime was committed.

"According to preliminary information, this happened near the village of Krynky in the Kherson region. The video shows that three unarmed Ukrainian soldiers are lying in a ditch, and the Russian soldiers are deliberately shooting them," he wrote.

The human rights commissioner emphasized that the killing of prisoners of war is a "brazen" violation of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War and a grave international crime.

"Such cases are not isolated and are a systematic practice of an insidious enemy. Regarding the Russian Federation's yet another violation of the norms of international humanitarian law, I immediately sent official letters to the UN and the ICRC so that the organizations document this fact. This should become the evidence base for the criminal tribunal. The world community should give Russia a clear signal — it will not be possible to hide the traces of war crimes. War crimes have no time limit," said Lubinets.

We will remind, as Rubryka previously reported, a video of the execution of captured Ukrainian soldiers allegedly in Krynky on the left bank of the Kherson region appeared online. The recording shows that a representative of the Russian Armed Forces fires several shots at three unarmed soldiers.

The Ukrainian prosecutor's office is already investigating the Russian troops' violation of the laws and customs of war.

It is worth noting that the United Nations Mission recorded the execution of 32 captured Ukrainian military personnel between December 1, 2023, and February 29, 2024, and this is significantly more than in any of the previous periods.