Russian troops continue violating humanitarian law, executing five POWs at Pokrovsk front

The Prosecutor General's Office is investigating the shooting of five Ukrainian soldiers who were captured by Russian invaders near the village of Petrivka on the Pokrovsk front of the Donetsk region.

The Prosecutor General's Office reported this on Facebook.

Under the procedural leadership of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, a pre-trial investigation has been launched into criminal proceedings on the fact of committing a war crime combined with premeditated murder (Part 2, Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to preliminary data, in November 2024, Russian invaders stormed the positions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine near the village of Petrivka, Pokrovsk district. As a result of the attack, five service members of Ukraine's armed forces were forced to retreat and hide in a private house.

^{Photo: Facebook / Prosecutor General's Office}

After surrounding the house, Russian soldiers took the Ukrainian defenders prisoner. They were forced to leave the shelter unarmed and lie on the ground. In violation of international humanitarian law, the invaders shot the Ukrainian prisoners with automatic weapons.

Investigative actions are underway to establish the crime's circumstances and the persons involved in its commission.

Near Vuhledar, the invaders shot five captured soldiers of Ukraine's armed forces.

The Prosecutor General's Office emphasized that the killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a grave international crime.

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It should be noted that in early November, it was reported that on the Pokrovsk front in the Donetsk region, Russian soldiers shot six more captured Ukrainian soldiers.

Also, on November 20, it was reported that on the Pokrovsk front, Russian troops shot two captured Ukrainian soldiers, and information about the killing of three captured soldiers is still being verified.

Previously, the former Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andrii Kostin, stated that about 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war were subjected to torture, rape, threats of sexual violence, or other forms of cruel treatment.

Furthermore, according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner for the Verkhovna Rada, there have been more than one hundred instances where Russian soldiers have executed surrendered troops of the Defense Forces.