Russian military caught on tape killing surrendered Ukrainian soldiers near Pokrovsk – CNN

CNN has released a video purportedly showing the Russian military in the Pokrovsk area killing three Ukrainian soldiers during a capture that took place in August.

The CNN channel reports this.

In the video, the soldiers emerge and stagger onto the dusty track. They then drop to their knees, placing their hands on their heads. After a brief moment, the Ukrainian drone captures them lying still, face down, with dust swirling around them.

CNN has obtained exclusive footage taken during fighting near the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine in late August. The video reportedly shows Russian forces executing three Ukrainian prisoners who had surrendered after their trench was overtaken.

"This incident, described by a Ukrainian official who asked that some details not be disclosed to protect the unit's identity, is part of a system of apparent executions that appear to have become more frequent this year," the channel reported.

Ukrainian military intelligence sources provided CNN with a list of 15 cases since November, most of which are confirmed by drone video and audio intercepts, in which Russians killed Ukrainian service members who surrendered on the front lines and were not captured.

According to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, his office is currently investigating 28 incidents that have occurred since the start of the war. These incidents resulted in the deaths of a total of 62 Ukrainian service members.

"The footage from the Pokrovsk front appears to reflect the relentlessly brutal tactics of the Russian military as they continue to advance in eastern Ukraine," CNN notes.

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It is worth noting that Yurii Belousov, the head of the Department of the Prosecutor General's Office for Combating Crimes in Armed Conflict Conditions, stated that between March 2022 and April, it was confirmed that Russian occupiers executed 54 Ukrainian prisoners of war.

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

In the middle of August, a video surfaced on the Internet showing Russians displaying the severed head of an allegedly Ukrainian soldier. The incident occurred at the Kolotilovka checkpoint in Russia's Belgorod region.

In regards to the video showcasing the execution of Ukrainian prisoners that surfaced on social media on April 7, Belousov explained that the location of the crime near Krynky in the Kherson region had already been verified, but the specifics are still undergoing verification.

Also, 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.

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

On February 20, a video of the execution of three captured Ukrainian defenders by the military of the Russian army near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, went viral.

Furthermore, Russian occupiers in the Bakhmut area were reported to have executed Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered as prisoners. This crime was brought to light through a viral video circulating on social media. The Ombudsman stated that the incident likely occurred on February 24, 2024, in the Bakhmut region.