Ukraine investigating execution of 124 POWs by Russian forces

Ukrainian law enforcement is investigating 49 criminal cases involving the execution of 124 Ukrainian POWs by Russian occupiers on the battlefield, as reported by Denys Lysenko, head of the Department for Countering Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict, part of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

A significant rise in executions of Ukrainian soldiers during surrender began at the end of 2023 and reached unprecedented levels in 2024. Most incidents have been recorded in Donetsk Oblast, with 17 cases accounting for 62 POW deaths. Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv oblasts follow in the number of recorded cases.

On November 5, two more instances of Ukrainian POWs being killed during surrender were registered in Donetsk Oblast. The incidents occurred on October 23 in the eastern part of Selydove, where three POWs were killed, and on November 1 near the village of Vyshneve in the Selydove community, where another three POWs were executed by Russian forces.

Lysenko added that law enforcement possesses preliminary information about the individuals directly responsible for these crimes, specifically units involved in assaults on Ukrainian defense positions in the area.

"We are analyzing all these cases, looking for patterns and connections. We are building cases against senior commanders in the Russian Armed Forces who may be responsible for organizing these crimes or failing to take steps to stop them and punish those accountable," Lysenko said.

He also noted that law enforcement is reviewing each incident comprehensively, analyzing the involvement of individual units in each case. However, this does not absolve commanders of their responsibility, he added.