Russian forces have executed over 50 Ukrainian POWs since March 2022 – General Prosecutor’s Office

According to the head of the Department of the Prosecutor General's Office for Combating Crimes Committed during Armed Conflict, Yuriy Belousov, there have been 54 reported cases of Ukrainian prisoners of war being executed by Russian occupiers since March 2022.

He spoke about it on the Suspilne broadcast.

In total, law enforcement officers are investigating the murder of 54 Ukrainian defenders as part of 27 criminal proceedings for the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Regarding the latest video showing the execution of Ukrainian prisoners that surfaced on social media on April 7, Belousov stated that the crime scene near Krynky in the Kherson region had been previously verified. However, the specifics are still being investigated.

In particular, investigators are looking into the potential involvement of the 328th and 345th regiments of the 104th Guards Division of the Russian Airborne Forces in committing this crime.

According to him, in cases of executions, not only commanders of Russian units are responsible, but also the highest military and political leadership.

"This is not an isolated case but evidence of the Russian Federation's policy," the Prosecutor General's Office representative said.

He also said that the court had already sentenced the first Russian soldier for the execution of a Ukrainian soldier in the Chernihiv region.

However, because prosecutors and investigators do not have access to the crime scene and the opportunity to examine the body, the investigation is complicated.

It should be noted that Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has sent official letters to both the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross concerning the shooting of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian invaders near the village of Krynky in the Kherson region.

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It is worth mentioning that this is not the first instance of the Russian army breaking the Geneva Conventions, laws, and customs of war by shooting Ukrainian prisoners of war. Similar incidents have been reported in areas such as Avdiivka, Robotyne, Bakhmut, and the Olenivka colony.

On February 18, service members of the Russian Federation shot two Ukrainian prisoners of war in the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group of Forces.

In addition, on February 17, the commander of the operational and strategic group of troops "Tavria" Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, reported that during the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Avdiivka, in the Donetsk region, some military personnel were captured and executed by the Russians.

It will be recalled that the DeepState Telegram channel shared a video showing a group of soldiers shooting two other soldiers as they emerged from a dugout. One of the soldiers had his hands behind his head. This incident, which took place in the Avdiivka area near Stepove, is yet another war crime committed by the Russian occupiers.

The ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, responded to the situation and planned to contact international organizations regarding this video. He also expressed his hope that authorities will be able to physically identify the perpetrators.

Ukraine's armed forces also confirmed the information that the Russian invaders shot two unarmed Ukrainian soldiers.