Ukraine probes if Russian troops executed surrendering soldiers, a severe war crime
Investigations into the alleged killing of surrendering soldiers by Russian troops in Ukraine were announced a day after the Ukrainian government shared a video of the event on social media. This incident happened near an observation post outside the village of Stepowe in eastern Ukraine, according to a statement from the office.
The killing of prisoners of war is a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions and is classified as a severe international crime, the statement said.
The Ukrainian military revealed on Saturday that the video showed the execution of two prisoners of war. CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Russia has been accused of numerous atrocities since its invasion in Ukraine, although the Kremlin denies misconduct. This year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for his alleged involvement in plans to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.
Ukrainian officials are investigating numerous criminal cases and war crimes, including 3,000 cases involving children.
Ukrainian human rights advocate Dmytro Lubinets wrote on Telegram on Saturday that the execution of an unarmed soldier was not an isolated incident.
A video surfaced in March apparently showing Russian troops executing a captured Ukrainian soldier, while two other videos that appeared on pro-Russian social media in the following month seemed to depict Russian troops beheading a Ukrainian soldier.
Lubinets said he was optimistic that Ukrainian authorities could identify the Russian soldiers responsible for the crime.
"I am confident that our law enforcement and intelligence agencies will be able to identify the Russian military personnel who committed this crime," Lubinets added.
CNN Contributor: Joshua Berlinger
Additionally,
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented numerous war crimes, including the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces. They've reported 79 such executions in 24 separate incidents since late August 2024[1][4].
Ukrainian authorities, including the office of its Prosecutor General, have begun criminal investigations into various incidents, including the alleged beheading of a Ukrainian serviceman and the summary execution of civilians by Russian forces[4][5].
The International Criminal Court has opened a full investigation into past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide committed in Ukraine by any person from 21 November 2013 onwards[5].
While these sources indicate numerous investigations and allegations of war crimes, they do not provide a specific number of ongoing investigations by Ukraine. The scope and number of investigations are likely extensive given the widespread reports of war crimes committed by Russian troops.
