Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has confirmed that Russians had shot dead six captured servicemen of one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanised brigades at a position in Avdiyivka.
"Shooting prisoners of war is a war crime! Russian soldiers pretend to be taking prisoners but instead execute unarmed defenders of Ukraine. There are no laws or rules for Russia. By executing prisoners of war, the aggressor country grossly and cynically violates the norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions," he said on Telegram.
He said that while monitoring the media, he came across reports about the execution of six captured servicemen of a mechanised brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at a position in Avdiyivka. They were badly wounded, unable to move on their own and were waiting for evacuation.
He also found a video with a fragment of the killing of two more Ukrainian soldiers near the village of Vesele, Bakhmut District.
"The drone footage shows how, during the storming of our positions, a Russian soldier shoots at point blank range first at one captured Ukrainian soldier and then at the second," the ombudsman said in a statement.
Lubinets noted that Russians, unwilling to leave prisoners alive, deliberately kill Ukrainian defenders.
"I emphasise that the execution of prisoners of war is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. This is a serious international crime that will be severely punished," he said. "I would like to draw the attention of the international community to the latest war crimes committed by the Russian Federation and to the fact that Russia, having seized certain territories, is moving on. For the aggressor country, there are no borders where it will stop. Only strength, unity and fear of responsibility will stop Russia, because impunity provokes even greater evil."
On 18 February, one of the Telegram channels published a message about the shooting of six captured defenders of a mechanised brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at a position in Avdiyivka. The defenders were badly injured, unable to move on their own and were waiting for evacuation.
There was also a video with a fragment of the killing of two more Ukrainian soldiers in a forest near the village of Vesele, Bakhmut District.
Later, the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that they were checking reports about the execution of six soldiers near Avdiyivka.