A shocking drone video appears to show ‘the moment Russian forces carried out the mass execution of 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war’.
It is the largest known massacre of its kind during the brutal conflict that lasted more than two and a half years, if verified.
Ukraine claims the footage shows the soldiers are acting as part of the Putin regime’s murderous policy of authorizing the killing of prisoners of war.
The 16 surrendering soldiers emerge from the forest under Russian control near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
The POWs line up in formation in an open area and then four of Vladimir Putin’s troops appear to open fire on them.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament’s human rights commissioner, said he had sent letters to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross about the apparent massacre.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said an investigation has been launched into a new war crime by the Russian military
The 16 surrendering soldiers emerge from the forest under Russian control near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region
Those who still showed signs of life were ‘finished’ at close range by automatic weapons, the Ukrainians claimed.
The Russians then run back into the forest plantation, which appears covered in fog or smoke.
“An investigation into a new war crime has been opened by the Russian military,” Ukrainian Attorney General Andriy Kostin said.
“This is the largest known case of execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the front line.
“It is further evidence that the killings and torture of prisoners are not an accident, but a targeted policy of Russia’s military and political leaders.”
Ukraine’s SBU security service is working to “verify” the images that appeared on Telegram channels.
“Investigation and search activities have been initiated to establish all the circumstances of the said crime,” Kostin said.
The execution of prisoners of war is a ‘cynical and gross violation of the Geneva Conventions’.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament’s human rights commissioner, stated that he had already sent letters to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross about the apparent massacre.
“The systematic crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war must be stopped and those responsible must be held accountable,” he said.
A series of videos have highlighted the alleged killing of surrendering Ukrainian troops.
“The inhumane country has once again violated international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions and resorted to new executions of prisoners of war,” Lubinets said.
The POWs line up in formation in an open area and then four of Vladimir Putin’s troops appear to open fire on them.
Any Ukrainian soldiers who still showed signs of life were ‘finished’ at close range by automatic weapons, the Ukrainians claimed.
The Russians then run back into the forest plantation, which appears covered in fog or smoke