Ukraine investigating execution of 322 POWs by Russia, prosecutors say
Ukraine is investigating evidence that Russian forces executed at least 322 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), the Prosecutor General's Office reported on Oct. 6 in response to a request from Ukrinform.
According to the statement, 263 Ukrainian soldiers were executed on the battlefield, while 59 others were killed in the 2022 Olenivka prison explosion in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast.
Ukrainian POWs held in Russian captivity often face torture, abuse, and inhumane treatment, according to Ukrainian officials and human rights groups.
Many former POWs have reported beatings, starvation, and psychological pressure.
To date, 80 criminal proceedings have been opened, the Prosecutor General's Office said.
Nine Russian servicemen have been formally charged, while indictments against six of them have already been submitted to court. Two have been convicted, and two more cases remain under judicial review.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv has brought back more than 7,000 Ukrainians, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Over 2,500 Ukrainian POWs remain in Russian captivity, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said on Sept. 5.
