Ukraine Investigates Alleged Shooting of 16 POWs by Russia, According to Reuters

Ukraine has announced an investigation into the alleged killing of 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) by Russian troops. These soldiers had surrendered on the eastern front line.

Andriy Kostin, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, described the incident as the largest reported execution of Ukrainian POWs in the ongoing conflict and emphasized that such killings and torture are not isolated events. He asserted that this points to a systematic policy by the Russian military and political leadership.

There has been no immediate response from Moscow regarding these allegations. The Kremlin has consistently denied claims of war crimes in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office indicated that they are examining a video circulating on social media, which purportedly depicts the incident. In the video, unclear drone footage shows a group of over ten individuals exiting a trench and subsequently collapsing after being fired upon by indistinct figures.

While the location and date of the video remain unverified by independent sources, Kostin stated that the event occurred at the Pokrovsk front, an area currently experiencing intensified Russian assaults.

Ukrainian prosecutors have previously accused Russian forces of executing POWs. In September, they reported investigations into the deaths of at least 73 Ukrainian prisoners. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Kyiv claims to have documented over 130,000 war crimes attributed to Moscow.