Russian forces continue war crimes, executing 109 Ukrainian POWs in 2024

Since the beginning of 2024, Russian soldiers have executed at least 109 Ukrainian prisoners of war, according to officially confirmed cases, reports Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets, UNIAN.

"Only in 2024, we have officially confirmed that the Russians shot 109 Ukrainian prisoners of war," said the Ukrainian ombudsman.

Overall, 177 cases of Ukrainian defenders being executed by the occupiers were recorded in the previous years of Russia's all out-war against Ukraine.

The killing of prisoners of war is considered a war crime under international law. The Geneva Conventions, which govern the treatment of individuals during armed conflict, explicitly prohibit the murder or ill-treatment of POWs. Such actions are categorized as serious violations of international humanitarian law and can lead to criminal liability in both national and international courts.

In November, Russian troops launched an assault on Ukrainian defense positions near the village of Petrovka in the Pokrovsk district. Five Ukrainian soldiers, retreating, took shelter in a private house, which was soon surrounded by the Russians. The occupiers captured them and then executed them.

The same month, during an assault on Ukrainian fortifications near the village of Novodmytrivka in the Pokrovsk district, Russian forces captured two Ukrainian soldiers. The occupiers forced the prisoners to undress and, under the barrels of automatic rifles, led them through a forest where they were executed.

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• “Russians tortured us so badly we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive,” civilian survivors say