Prosecutor's Office Investigates Murder of 268 Ukrainian Prisoners by Russian Military
The Prosecutor General's Office reported that since the start of the full-scale invasion, it has opened 75 criminal proceedings into the killing of 268 Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian soldiers. The number of executed Ukrainian soldiers has increased due to orders from the Russian leadership to kill prisoners of war.
According to Yuriy Belousov, head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict of the Prosecutor General's Office, the number of alleged executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war is increasing every year.
Thus, in 2022 and 2023, eight criminal proceedings were registered for the murder of 57 and 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war, respectively.
In 2024, 39 criminal proceedings were opened for the murder of 149 Ukrainian prisoners.
Since the beginning of 2025, 20 criminal proceedings have been registered for the murder of 51 Ukrainian prisoners.
According to Belousov, the increase in the number of executions is due to instructions given by the top political and military leadership of the Russian Federation to subordinates.
The fact that the Russian command is giving orders to execute Ukrainian soldiers is also confirmed by a recent CNN investigation .
An unnamed Western intelligence official told the TV channel that he had materials that "confirmed the existence of a directive from the Russian command to kill Ukrainian soldiers who have surrendered or are in the process of surrendering."
- On March 11, J.D. Vance's brother spoke out about how Russian soldiers were executing their own people. He said it was politics, not an accident.
- On April 10, the Foreign Ministry spokesman responded to a video of the execution of four prisoners in the Zaporizhia direction. He stated that the Russian army is a gathering of degenerates.
- On April 16, it was reported that the occupiers executed an unarmed Ukrainian Army soldier near Volnovakha, and an investigation has been launched.
- On May 6, it was reported that Russian occupiers shot three captured servicemen of the Defense Forces in the Donetsk region.
