Russian forces killing more captured Ukrainian troops: UN

By AFP
February 04, 2025
Graves of unidentified people killed by Russian soldiers during occupation of the Bucha town, are seen at the towns cemetery, before the first anniversary of its liberation, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine March 30, 2023. — Reuters
Graves of unidentified people killed by Russian soldiers during occupation of the Bucha town, are seen at the town's cemetery, before the first anniversary of its liberation, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine March 30, 2023. — Reuters

KYIV, Ukraine: The United Nations on Monday warned that Russian forces have been killing more captured Ukrainian soldiers over recent months, echoing growing allegations from officials in Kyiv.

Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of committing war crimes, including killing prisoners of war, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The United Nations monitoring mission in Ukraine said that since the end of August last year it had “recorded 79 such executions in 24 separate incidents” by Russian forces.

“These incidents did not occur in a vacuum. Public figures in the Russian Federation have explicitly called for inhumane treatment, and even execution, of captured Ukrainian military personnel,” said Danielle Bell, head of the mission.

“Combined with broad amnesty laws, such statements have the potential to incite or encourage unlawful behaviour,” she added in the statement. The statement also said that the mission had recorded one execution by the Ukrainian armed forces of a “wounded and incapacitated” Russian soldier last year.