Russians have executed 177 Ukrainian soldiers in three years, most in 2024 – Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, has said that the number of cases of executions of Ukrainian soldiers by the Russians in 2024 was nearly double that of the preceding two years of the war.
Source: Lubinets in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda
Quote from Lubinets: "As of now [the interview was recorded on 13 December – ed.], 177 cases of Ukrainian prisoners of war being executed have been confirmed over the three years of the full-scale war. The situation has deteriorated dramatically, as 109 executions have been officially confirmed in 2024 alone."
Details: Lubinets said most of the videos showing executions of Ukrainian soldiers that his office receives come from the Ukrainian special services, although in some cases they are provided by military units. The commissioner also reviews videos posted on social media, including those shared by the Russians themselves.
Lubinets reports these war crimes to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN. However, he notes that the ICRC has never "publicly or privately accused the Russians of killing or torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war", and the first time that any information about the Russians executing Ukrainian soldiers appeared in official UN reports was in 2024.
In response to a request from Lubinets, the Russian side has stated that it would "respond legally" to these facts.
Background:
- Assessing the results of the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the operation "has significantly aided Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and has provided one of the largest contributions to Ukraine's prisoner exchange pool".
- Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in Kursk Oblast had created a strategic problem for Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin.
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