Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has responded to a video showing the alleged execution of six captured Ukrainian servicemen by Russians. According to preliminary data, the Ukrainian servicemen were captured during an assault on the positions of Ukrainian troops in Donetsk Region.
Lubinets wrote about this in Telegram. The Prosecutor General's Office also responded to the video and launched an investigation.
According to Lubinets, Russians recorded their own crime on the video — shooting six Ukrainian soldiers who had been captured. The video stops when the seventh soldier is lying on the ground, his fate is unknown.
Each of the prisoners is shot in front of their fellow soldiers. At the same time, the Russian military order them to "lie down and shut up", and the "cameraman" of the crime says "One is mine", and later he is seen firing a series of bullets into the back of one of the soldiers.
"The Russian army has never been known for its decent treatment of prisoners of war, and once again it demonstrates its helplessness and criminality. Once again, I am sending information about this crime to the UN and the ICRC. This fact must be recorded," the Ombudsman stressed.
He reminded that the lack of accountability has turned the crime into a systemic one and it cannot be ignored, and Ukraine needs justice and accountability for those who commit crimes and do not comply with any norms.
The Office of the Prosecutor General noted that a pre-trial investigation had been initiated in criminal proceedings over a war crime that resulted in the death of people (part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The execution of prisoners of war is a serious violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War and is classified as a grave international crime.
Investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime and the persons involved in its commission.
- In late December, Lubinets reported the alleged shooting of unarmed Ukrainian soldiers by Russians.