Were captured Russian soldiers executed at close range?

For days, Russian media have been playing reports that Ukrainian troops have allegedly shot Russian prisoners of war at close range. Two 30-second videos are circulating on the internet showing Russian prisoners of war lying on the ground. One by one they came out of a hut with their hands up and surrendered. They lie face down on the ground in a backyard. Suddenly a figure bursts out of the hut – a Russian – and opens fire. The video stops abruptly. The second video shows the bodies of the Russian soldiers in pools of blood.

Kiev has denied reports of the alleged execution by Ukrainian soldiers. On the contrary, their own troops defended themselves against the Russians, Ukrainian parliament human rights commissioner Dmitro Lubinez said on Telegram on Sunday. According to Lubinez, the Russians only pretended to surrender. He does not deny killing the prisoners, but suggests self-defense.

Videos verified

This version of events also seems to be confirmed by specialists from the “New York Times”, who have verified the videos with extensive research. They also base their detailed analysis on drone videos from the Ukrainian armed forces. Photos show the exact location and also the bodies in the backyard. The conclusion of the investigation: “At least 11 Russians, most of them lying on the ground, were apparently shot at close range.” This “after one of their comrades-in-arms suddenly opened fire on nearby Ukrainian soldiers.”

The actual act, which would have taken place in Luhansk in mid-November, cannot be seen. But “it is entirely possible that they would all have been captured as POWs and would have survived had the man not fired,” said Iva Vukusic, an expert in war crimes prosecution at Utrecht University.

UN is investigating reports

Russia’s defense ministry has called for an investigation into “war crimes” since the videos surfaced. Moscow speaks of the “deliberate and methodical murder of more than ten bound Russian soldiers”. A statement from the Moscow foreign ministry on Friday accuses Ukraine of “serious violations of international humanitarian law”.

Lubinets, on the other hand, accuses the Russians of a “war crime”. Clips from a video would clearly show the Russian soldiers “using a feigned surrender” to “open fire on the Ukrainian forces”.

“We are aware of the videos and we are investigating them,” Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, said Friday. The UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine recently said it had credible reports of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war and civilians on both sides. (kes)