The Human Rights Ombudsman in Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, reported that another video is circulating on social media showing the probable execution of unarmed Ukrainian servicemen taken prisoner by Russians. Lubinets stated that he sent letters to the UN and the ICRC to document the war crime.
«The published video shows at least 5 likely killed prisoners of war. Once again, we see the cynical disregard for international humanitarian law by the Russian army», — Lubinets wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that he sent letters to the UN and the International Red Cross to document the war crime.
«Those who give orders and commit such atrocities must be held strictly accountable», — emphasized the ombudsman.
According to Ukraine, in 2024, 109 executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war were confirmed, and a total of 177 cases of killings of captured Ukrainian servicemen by Russian military were documented.
In February 2025, a video of the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Kursk region appeared online. The footage shows a Russian soldier shooting a Ukrainian prisoner of war in the head.
In Zaporizhzhia, the first trial began against a Russian soldier accused of executing a Ukrainian prisoner of war, with his comrades testifying as prosecution witnesses. According to the investigation, Russian serviceman Dmitry Kurashov, a native of the Perm region, shot Ukrainian soldier Vitaliy Hodnyuk on January 6, 2024, when he was surrendering.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the release of Ukrainian prisoners should be one of the first steps towards ending the war.