A newly surfaced video has drawn international attention to another likely war crime committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian prisoners of war. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that the circulating footage appears to show Russian soldiers executing six unarmed Ukrainian POWs, shooting them in the back at close range. The recording, allegedly captured by the perpetrators themselves, documents a group of Ukrainian servicemen who had been taken captive during fighting in the Donetsk region. According to Lubinets, the video ends with a seventh soldier lying on the ground, his fate still unknown, raising concerns that the number of victims may be even higher.

What makes this incident particularly disturbing is the deliberate nature of the act. In the video, the captors force the prisoners to lie down, remain silent, and watch as their fellow soldiers are killed one by one. Lubinets emphasized that this behavior is not an isolated occurrence but part of a broader pattern of systematic mistreatment of prisoners by Russian troops. He reiterated that Russia’s ongoing lack of accountability has emboldened such repeated violations of international law. Lubinets has submitted the incident to both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, stressing the urgent need for global oversight and justice.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has formally opened a pre-trial investigation under Article 438, Part 2 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, which addresses war crimes resulting in death. Initial findings suggest that the soldiers were captured during an assault on Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk region before being summarily executed. Prosecutors highlighted that executing prisoners of war is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and is recognized internationally as a severe criminal offense.

Investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine are now working to identify the perpetrators and gather comprehensive evidence. This incident follows earlier reports of Russian forces executing other Ukrainian POWs in the same region, further illustrating a deeply concerning pattern that demands urgent international accountability.

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