A senior Ukrainian military commander has made the grave accusation that Russian forces are now systematically executing Ukrainian prisoners of war, with intercepted communications allegedly revealing direct orders to kill surrendering troops.
Intercepted Orders Reveal Systematic Policy
Major Oleh Shyriaiev, a decorated Hero of Ukraine who commands the 225th Separate Assault Battalion, told The Times that his units routinely intercept Russian military communications. In these wiretaps, he claims, Russian military leaders are heard giving orders to execute Ukrainian servicemen who attempt to surrender.
"The number of executions is growing and this is happening in all directions of the front line," Shyriaiev stated. "For Russians, there are no red lines... This practice has become a systematic one, I would say, in the last year and a half."
He accused Russian forces of demonstrating to the world that they can act with impunity, showing a blatant disregard for the established rules of warfare and international conventions.
Mounting Evidence of Atrocities
Combat observers report that evidence of alleged war crimes has increased significantly in recent months. This includes drone and soldier footage which appears to show:
- Surrendered servicemen being lined up and shot.
- A specific clip from 19 November near Pokrovsk, filmed by a drone, allegedly shows a soldier firing a machine gun at four unarmed, prone men before shooting another who tries to flee.
- Ukrainian prosecutors are also investigating claimed cases of beheadings and an incident where a bound Ukrainian soldier was allegedly killed with a sword.
Yuri Belousov, head of the war crimes department at Ukraine's prosecutor general's office, confirmed an "upward trend." He noted the number of cases has risen sharply this summer and autumn, indicating they are not isolated incidents but part of a broader policy.
Official Ukrainian figures state that at least 147 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been executed by Russian forces in 2025 alone, a statistic that aligns with the commander's alarming observations.
International Context and Denials
The United Nations has also recorded a rise in alleged Russian war crimes since mid-November, according to Danielle Bell, who leads the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine.
These revelations starkly contradict previous statements from the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin has asserted that Ukrainian POWs are treated "strictly in line with international legal documents and international conventions."
The reports emerge amidst delicate diplomatic manoeuvres. US President Donald Trump recently described peace talks between the US and Ukraine as "terrific," though he acknowledged significant hurdles remain. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Mar-a-Lago on Sunday aimed to advance a proposed 20-point peace plan, with security guarantees being a critical concern.
Under the Third Geneva Convention, prisoners of war are afforded explicit protections, and their execution constitutes a serious war crime. The systematic nature of these alleged killings, if proven, would represent one of the most severe violations of international humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict.
