Russia escalates executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war

BBC reported on the issue. 

The outlet recalled how Ukrainian sniper Oleksandr Matsievsky was captured by Russian forces during the first year of the full-scale invasion. A later video showed him smoking a final cigarette in a forest, seemingly near a grave he had been forced to dig. "Glory to Ukraine!" he declared to his captors before being executed moments later. 

His execution is one of many. 

In October, nine captured Ukrainian soldiers were reportedly executed by Russian forces in Kursk. A photo of the bodies helped identify drone operator Ruslan Holubenko.

"I recognised him by his underwear," his distraught mother told local broadcaster Suspilne Chernihiv. "I bought it for him before a trip to the sea. I also knew that his shoulder had been shot through. You could see that in the picture."

Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating numerous reports of executions, including beheadings and the killing of a soldier with his hands tied behind his back using a sword. In another instance, a video showed 16 Ukrainian soldiers surrendering after emerging from a forest, only to be lined up and mowed down with automatic gunfire.

Some executions were filmed by Russian forces, while others were recorded by Ukrainian drones. These killings, often occurring in featureless woods or fields, are challenging to locate precisely. However, BBC Verify has confirmed in several cases, including a beheading, that the victims wore Ukrainian uniforms and that the videos are recent.

Increasing death toll

The Ukrainian prosecution service says that at least 147 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been executed by Russian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion, 127 of them this year.

"The upward trend is very clear, very obvious. Executions became systemic from November last year and have continued throughout all of this year. Sadly, their number has been particularly on the rise this summer and autumn. This tells us that they are not isolated cases. They are happening across vast areas and they have clear signs of being part of a policy - there is evidence that instructions to this effect are being issued," says Yuri Belousov, the head of the War Department at the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office.

International humanitarian law, specifically the Third Geneva Convention, protects prisoners of war, making their execution a war crime. Despite this, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, briefly instructed his commanders involved in the Ukraine war "to take no prisoners," disregarding these legal protections.

Russia’s impunity

Rachel Denber, Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, says evidence of Ukrainian POW executions by Russian troops is abundant, with impunity allowing such actions to continue.

"What instructions do these units have, either formally or informally, from their commanders? Are their commanders being quite clear about what the Geneva Conventions say about the treatment of prisoners of war? What are Russian military commanders telling their units about their conduct? What steps is the chain of command taking to investigate these instances? And if higher ups are not investigating, or not taking steps to prevent that conduct, are they aware that they too are criminally liable and can be held accountable?" she asks.

“So far, there has been nothing to suggest that Russia is formally investigating claims that its forces have been executing Ukrainian prisoners of war. Even mentioning similar allegations is punishable by lengthy prison sentences in Russia,” BBC noted.

According to Human Rights Watch, since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022 the Russian forces have committed "a litany of violations, including those which should be investigated as war crimes or crimes against humanity".

Due to the Russian army's history of abuses, some Ukrainian soldiers prefer death to capture.

"He told me: Mum, I'll never surrender, never. Forgive me, I know you'll cry, but I don't want to be tortured," Ruslan Holubenko's mother says. Her son is still officially classed as missing in action, and she hopes against hope.

"I'll do everything that's possible and impossible to get my child back. I keep looking at this photo. Maybe he is just unconscious? I want to believe, I don't want to think that he's gone."