Ukraine investigates 49 cases of execution of 124 Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russia

This was reported by Denys Lysenko, Head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict, Office of the Prosecutor General.

According to him, the rapid increase in the number of cases of killing of Ukrainian defenders during surrender began at the end of last year and reached unprecedented levels this year. Most cases were recorded in Donetsk region.

Denys Lysenko also said that the day before, on November 5, two more cases of killing Ukrainian prisoners of war during surrender were registered in Donetsk region. These events took place on October 23 in the eastern part of the town of Selydove, when three prisoners of war were killed, and on November 1 near the village of Vyshneve in Selydove territorial community, when three more prisoners of war were shot dead by the Russian troops.

‘We are currently analyzing all these cases, looking for patterns and regularities. And we are already pursuing cases against representatives of the highest command of the Russian Armed Forces who, in our opinion, may be involved in organizing such crimes or in failing to take measures to stop them and punish the perpetrators. Therefore, we consider all these cases in-depth, and the involvement of a particular armed unit is, of course, analyzed on a case-by-case basis. But this does not relieve the commanders of their responsibility,’ said the head of the department.

• Russian forces killed 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Pokrovsk sector near the villages of Mykolayivka and Sukhyi Yar. Ukraine has launched an investigation into the violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder.
• Russian invaders shot dead three Ukrainian servicemen who surrendered in the Toretsk sector at close range.