US cannot confirm mass execution of 16 Ukrainian soldiers by Russian military

The U.S. State Department has commented on the alleged execution of 16 Ukrainian soldiers by Russian forces, stating that they cannot confirm the incident and calling for an investigation, spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a briefing.

"We have seen the reports. I don’t have any independent information with which to confirm that. I think it’s appropriate that Ukraine conduct the investigation that they’ve announced," said Miller.

He noted that the United States. is monitoring how Russia is "committing horrific acts" since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine.

Information about the execution of 16 Ukrainian soldiers on the Pokrovsk front and a video of the moment surfaced on October 1. The footage, which circulated on social media, showed Ukrainian soldiers emerging from a forest accompanied by Russians. They were lined up and then shot. The Office of the Prosecutor General has launched an investigation.

On September 3, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported that the Russian troops might have executed three Ukrainian prisoners of war on the Toretsk front.

On September 6, the Russian military killed a Ukrainian fighter and filmed the act.

On September 17, human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that the aggressor killed an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war with a sword.