The number of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces has increased over the past year, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin told the Belgian media outlet La Libre.
These crimes are not isolated incidents but rather a deliberate policy of the aggressor state, Kostin emphasized. Torture and killings are used as weapons of war, intimidation, and destruction, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Kostin stated that a crucial aspect of achieving justice is to hold Russia and its leadership accountable for the crime of aggression, as over 140,000 war crimes would not have occurred without their orders.
Most Russian war criminals have been convicted in absentia by Ukrainian courts, but a court ruling is fundamentally important for the process of restoring justice and healing the victims.
Earlier, the Ukrainian project Deepstate reported that Russian troops executed nine Ukrainian prisoners of war near the village of Zeleny Shliakh in the Kursk Oblast on 10 October.
Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets informed the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross about the possible crime, stressing that such actions should not go unpunished and that the Russians must bear full responsibility.
Related:
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- Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna confirmed dead in Russian captivity
- Russian soldiers execute 3 surrendering Ukrainians, reports Azov Brigade
- Surge in executions of Ukrainian POWs potentially link to changed Russian policy
- “I broke everyone and will do the same to you”: Russian authorities torture Ukrainians with a sense of impunity
