Two Russian soldiers broke into a residential basement in Pokrovsk on the night of 21 December, demanded alcohol from the Ukrainians hiding there, and opened fire when told there was none. Seven civilians died.
Among the seven dead was an entire family: a married couple, their son, and the woman's mother, according to Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. A father and son who came out to speak with the soldiers were shot first. The Russians then descended into the basement and executed the others.
The sole survivor, wounded, escaped only by lying motionless among the bodies.
"Their cruelty knows no bounds"
Lubinets said he has sent official letters to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations documenting the massacre.
"The whole world must see the faces of Russian soldiers who came to kill civilians," he wrote.
The ombudsman emphasized that this killing fits a systematic pattern of violence Russian forces use against civilians in occupied and frontline areas. Deliberate murder of civilians violates international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime.
"Impunity for such actions means only one thing — their repetition," Lubinets stated. "We need to react here and now."
Pattern of executions near Pokrovsk
The Pokrovsk massacre comes days after Ukrainian prosecutors documented Russian troops executing five disarmed Ukrainian POWs near Pokrovsk and Huliaipole. In August, Ukrainian drone footage captured Russian soldiers executing an unarmed elderly civilian in his yard in the same district.
Ukrainian prosecutors have documented over 130 suspected POW executions in 2024 alone. A Financial Times investigation concluded these killings appear to be systematic military policy rather than isolated incidents.
Urgent call to evacuate
Lubinets urged remaining civilians to leave frontline areas immediately.
"Please, do not delay the decision — evacuate in time. I understand how difficult it is to make such decisions. But this is a chance to save lives."
