Ukraine investigates executions of prisoners of war in Avdiivka and Vesele by Russians

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor's Office, has launched an investigation into the shootings of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war (PoWs) in Avdiivka and Vesele. 

Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office 

Details: Under the procedural control of the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office, a pre-trial investigation has been initiated in criminal proceedings over violations of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder (Article 438.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). 

The investigation is being conducted by the SSU Chief Directorate in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. 

Quote from the prosecutor's office: "The Russian Armed Forces systematically and cynically violate the norms of international humanitarian law on the territory of Donetsk Oblast. Another evidence of the occupiers' grave crimes is the video of the murders of unarmed Ukrainian soldiers spread on social media. 

According to the investigation, on 18 February 2024, one of the Telegram channels published a message about the execution of six captured Ukrainian defenders from a mechanised brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at a position in Avdiivka. The defenders were seriously injured, unable to move on their own and were waiting for evacuation. 

The media monitoring also revealed a video showing the execution of two more Ukrainian soldiers in a forest belt near the village of Vesele, Bakhmut district. The drone footage shows how, during the assault on Ukrainian positions, a representative of the Russian Armed Forces fired at first at one captured Ukrainian soldier and then at the second – point-blank. The Russian soldier used an automatic weapon. 

The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and is classified as a serious international crime."

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