Russian forces have executed 4 Ukrainian prisoners of struggle close to the village of Piatykhatky in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, drone footage printed by the Related Press on April 10 suggests.
Within the video, the 4 seemingly unarmed POWs are seen rising from a ruined constructing at gunpoint by Russian forces. One raises his fingers in give up earlier than all 4 lie face down within the grass.
Russian troopers, identifiable by insignia, then shoot every prisoner within the again, in response to the footage shared by European navy officers with the AP.
Ukraine's International Ministry spokesperson, Heorhii Tykhyi, condemned the execution as a struggle crime.
"Russian invaders execute 4 Ukrainian prisoners of struggle after they give up. Such executions have turn out to be systemic, however each is surprising in its brutality," he posted on X.
Tykhyi stated Ukraine expects the incident to be investigated, together with by the Worldwide Prison Court docket, and that every one perpetrators should be dropped at justice.
The Geneva Conventions prohibit the execution of POWs beneath any circumstances, requiring that they be handled with dignity and shielded from violence and intimidation. Violations represent struggle crimes beneath worldwide legislation.
Russia has been repeatedly accused of murdering captured Ukrainian troopers throughout its full-scale invasion. As of mid-December 2024, Ukrainian authorities had documented the execution of a minimum of 177 POWs.
The Kyiv IndependentChris York