The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office on Friday accused Russian soldiers of executing five Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) near the village of Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
The office stated: “The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and is classified as a serious international crime.” The office confirmed that a pre-trial investigation into the alleged war crime has been launched under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. The investigation is being conducted by the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The incident, according to the operational data, took place on October 2, 2024. Russian forces reportedly captured five unarmed Ukrainian defenders during an assault. One was killed on the spot in a forest lane while the remaining four were marched to a roadside location and executed.
The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has reported a surge in reports of POW executions by Russian forces in recent months. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office opened 53 criminal cases into such incidents, 37 of which occurred in 2024. On October 10, nine Ukrainian POWs were reportedly executed near Zelenyi Shlyakh in Kursk Oblast. In that case, drone operators mistakenly believed to be in a safe zone surrendered after running out of ammunition. They were disarmed, stripped, and shot, according to evidence gathered by Ukrainian investigators. Further investigations are underway into other recent incidents, including the execution of 16 Ukrainian POWs near Pokrovsk and reports of captives being forced to undress and march to their deaths near Novodmytrivka.
Article 13 of the Third Geneva Convention mandates that prisoners of war must be humanely treated at all times and protected from acts of violence, intimidation, and public humiliation. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha have strongly condemned the executions of Ukrainian POWs as blatant violations of the Geneva Conventions. They urged international allies, the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take decisive action.
