Prisoners of war are being systematically executed by Russian forces, according to one of Ukraine’s most decorated soldiers. Major Oleh Shyriaiev, awarded the Hero of Ukraine for his leadership, told The Times that he often intercepts transmissions in which orders to kill surrendering troops are given by Russian military leaders.
Combat observers say evidence of alleged war crimes by Russian troops has grown in recent months. Footage taken by Russian soldiers or Ukrainian reconnaissance drones appears to show servicemen being lined up and shot dead after they surrender. One clip, filmed on 19 November near Pokrovsk, allegedly shows a soldier firing at four unarmed men with a machine gun as they lie face down.
Claimed cases of beheadings are also being investigated by Ukrainian prosecutors, as well as an alleged incident of a Ukrainian soldier with his hands tied behind his back being killed with a sword. Mr Shyriaiev said: “The number of executions is growing and this is happening in all directions of the front line. For Russians, there are no red lines.”
Russian forces have executed at least 147 Ukrainian prisoners of war since the start of the war in 2022, with 127 taking place this year, according to the Ukrainian prosecution service. Yuri Belousov, who leads the war crimes department at the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office, said: “The upward trend is very clear, very obvious. They are happening across vast areas and they have clear signs of being part of a policy.”
The United Nations has also recorded a rise in alleged Russian war crimes since mid-November, according to Danielle Bell, the head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine. Prisoners of war are offered protection by international humanitarian law, especially the Third Geneva Convention, with execution being classified as a war crime.
