There have been multiple reports of the executions of Ukrainian POWs by Russian soldiers during the full-scale invasion, but they have increased dramatically over the last year.
Warning: This article contains graphic photos and descriptions of graphic scenes. A decomposed human hand with the remains of flesh, bleak and brown save for one splash of color — two thin blue-yellow rubber bracelets. The colors of the Ukrainian national flag. The hand was from a body of the hundreds
Russian soldiers executed two captured Ukrainian soldiers near Selydove in Donetsk Oblast, the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office reported on Oct.21.
According to Dmytro Lubinets, the actual number of such cases is likely much higher since it is difficult to document Russian war crimes without supporting evidence such as videos of the executions.
Key developments on Oct. 13: * Ukraine is holding front line in Kursk Oblast despite Russian attacks, Zelensky says * Prosecutors open investigation into alleged killing of 9 POWs by Russians in Kursk Oblast * Russia's illegal use of Starlink terminals hastened fall of Vuhledar, WP reports * Zelensky: Russia has used around 900
"The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and an international crime. A criminal case has been opened over the violation of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder," Kostin posted on X.
Yurii Belousov, the head of the department focused on war-related crimes, explained that 80% of these cases were recorded in 2024, but the trend appeared already late last year.
Most Ukrainian soldiers who were released had never been visited by the Red Cross representatives while in Russian captivity, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in July.
In this exclusive interview, the Kyiv Independent interviews Somali and Sierra Leonean prisoners of war who fought for Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Key developments on Sept. 17: * Around 1 million killed, wounded in Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, WSJ reports * Ukraine destroys Russian ammunition depots near occupied Mariupol, Navy says * None of Ukraine's plans to end the war envisages ceasefire, ceding territory, Podolyak says * Russia reportedly executes POW with sword, Kyiv appeals
On the morning of Sept. 17, a photo of an allegedly executed Ukrainian soldier with a sword in his chest and the inscription "For Kursk" appeared on social media. Remnants of gray tape are visible on the soldier's hand.
Chechen commander Apti Alaudinov on Sept. 15 said that fighters who willingly surrendered to Ukrainian forces do not deserve to live and should "do everything they can to get themselves killed."
"The vast majority of those released are people who had been held (in captivity) since the first days of the war,” said Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets in a statement.
Ukraine brought back 49 Ukrainian defenders and civilians from Russian captivity on Sept. 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We must find a solution for all groups held by Russia: civilians, prisoners of war and children," said Andrii Yermak, who held an online meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
Russian prisoners of war (POWs) held in Ukrainian camps are no longer allowed to make phone calls to their relatives, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced on national television on Sept. 7.
The footage purportedly shows a Russian soldier who asks a Ukrainian soldier if he wants to "say the last word, pray before dying," and then shoots him with a rifle three times.
At an undisclosed detention facility, the Kyiv Independent interviewed one contract soldier captured in Kursk Oblast. To convey a better idea of what the thoughts and motivations of the average Russian soldier are in 2024, we are publishing this interview in full.
Russian forces seem to have summarily executed a group of surrendering Ukrainian soldiers near Pokrovsk in late August, CNN reported on Sept. 6, publishing an exclusive video.
Key developments on Sept. 4: * Casualties reported in Lviv, Kryvyi Rih as Russia launches another mass attack on Ukraine * Ukrainian military uses 'dragon drones' against Russia, Defense Ministry says * Germany orders 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine, Scholz says * Ukraine, Ireland sign agreement on cooperation, support * Russia executed 3
Earlier, a video circulated on Telegram that showed three Ukrainian soldiers coming out of a basement with their hands up. The Ukrainians were then apprehended by Russian soldiers, placed face down on the ground and summarily shot.
According to Russia's Prosecutor General's Office, Oleksandr Lyubas was part of a small group of Ukrainian soldiers who attempted to conduct an amphibious operation on the peninsula and was captured in the process.
Among those brought back were soldiers from the National Guard, army, navy, and the State Border Guard Service.
Ukrainian forces are in control of 92 settlements and more than 1,250 square kilometers of Kursk Oblast in Russia as the incursion into the region continues, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 19.
The legion called upon Russian soldiers to "surrender to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as (their) comrades did." Those who "want to continue fighting for the normal future of Russia" were invited to join the unit.
Ukrainian special forces captured 102 Russian and Chechen soldiers in Kursk Oblast on Aug. 14, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 15.
Azov Brigade soldier Oleksandr Ishchenko died in Russian captivity due to a blunt force trauma to his chest, according to a forensic expert report, published by Azov deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar on Aug. 7.
Some 533 of the Russian soldiers were found alive among the number of POWs, and 100 of them had already been released to Russia as a part of a prisoner exchange.
The photo, which is circulating on social media, shows the body of a person with his head and limbs cut off. It is unknown when the photo was taken. The Kyiv Independent was unable to verify it.
"We are talking about people who do not consider Ukraine, European democratic values, or our state constitution theirs, but consider the aggressor state, Russia, their country. And they want to get there," Ukraine's military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov said.
Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets commented on the recent interview of Boris Michel, the head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Russia, with the Russian state-controlled media RIA Novosti.
The Kyiv Independent has obtained footage of Ukrainian authorities questioning a Nepali prisoner of war captured when he was fighting for Russia in Ukraine. The footage was obtained from intelligence sources. The Kyiv Independent edited it for brevity.
