80% of Ukrainian military executions occurred in 2024 – prosecutor's office

About 80% of executions of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield by the Russian occupiers took place in 2024, according to Yuriy Belousov, Head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO).

"We currently have information on the deaths of 93 of our soldiers who were executed directly on the battlefield. It's important to note that around 80% of all executions happened this year, indicating a significant increase in such cases in 2024," he said.

The treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces "significantly worsened" starting in November 2023, Belousov noted.

"Perhaps the most notorious example is the execution of our prisoners of war in Olenivka. However, such cases are also being recorded in other detention locations," the PGO official said.

He recalled a recent report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which confirmed the execution of 10 prisoners of war in other detention sites.

Bielousov also mentioned that investigations into these cases are underway, with large-scale probes focusing on detention sites in both Russia and occupied territories.

He added that all Ukrainian POWs returning from captivity are being interrogated, and all report being subjected to severe torture. Some soldiers have died during torture at the hands of the Russian military, FSB, or other security forces of the aggressor country.

Recently, information appeared online about the execution of 16 Ukrainian soldiers near the Pokrovske area. Footage showed Ukrainian fighters being led out of a forest by Russian forces, lined up and then shot. The Prosecutor General's Office launched an investigation on the same day.