A video record shows men identified as Russian soldiers taking 4 Ukrainians as prisoners of war. Then the execution begins
Numerous crosses, marked only with numbers for unidentified bodies, in a cemetery in Bucharest, Ukraine, August 20, 2024. Photo: Hiroto Sekiguchi / AP / Profimedia
The Russian forces are suspected of executing four Ukrainian war prisoners near the village of Piatykhatky in the Zaporojie region, as the filmed images from the drone suggest on Thursday by the US Associated Press (AP).
In the video recording, the four apparently unarmed war prisoners are seen leaving a building in ruins, under the threat of weapons from Russian troops. One of the Ukrainians raises their hands as a sign of teaching, so that then all four would reach face down, on the grass.
Soldiers, who can be identified as part of the Russian army through the marks on the uniforms, then shoot each prisoner in the back, according to the images that are possession of the AP. The video recording was sent to the US Agency by European military officials.
The spokesman of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorchii Tykhyi, condemned the execution as a war crime.
“The Russian invaders execute four prisoners of Ukrainian war after they surrendered. Such executions have become systematic, but each is shocking through its brutality,” wrote the representative of European diplomacy, in a message published on the social network X.
Horrific Video by @Ap. Russian Evaders Execute Four Ukrainian Prisoners of War After The Surrender. Such Executions Have Becoma Systemic, but Each One is Shocking in Its Burntality.
These Executions Not Only Show That We Are Dealing With Beasts. They also demonstrated that the… pic.twitter.com/wclthwjfbs
– Heorhii Tykhyi (@spoxukrainemfa) April 10, 2025
Tykhyi said that Ukraine expects the incident to be investigated, including the International Criminal Court (CPI), and that all the authors must be brought before justice.
Geneva conventions forbid the execution of prisoners of war in any kind of circumstances, demanding that they be treated with dignity and protected by violence and intimidation. Violations are war crimes according to international law, notes The Kyiv Independent.
Russia has been repeatedly accused of killing Ukrainian soldiers, during its large -scale invasion that lasts for more than three years.
Until the middle of December 2024, the Ukrainian authorities documented the execution of at least 177 prisoners of war.
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