Ukraine probes allegations Russia killed 16 POWs

Ukraine probes allegations Russia killed 16 POWs

KYIV: Ukraine is probing allegations the Russian army shot dead 16 prisoners of war near the eastern city of Pokrovsk, Kyiv's prosecutor general said. Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of killing POWs since Moscow launched its attack of Ukraine in February 2022.

"This is the largest known case of the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the front line," Ukrainian prosecutor general Andriy Kostin said in a statement. Kostin said the alleged incident showed that the "killing and torture of prisoners is not an accident but a deliberate policy of the Russian military and political leadership".

The probe — into allegations of the "violation of laws and customs of war" and "premeditated murder" — was launched based on videos shared on social media that appeared to show the execution of Ukrainian soldiers, Kostin said.

Video images captured by a drone showed captured Ukrainian troops, under Russian control, coming out from a wooded area and lining up, Ukraine's prosecutors said. The Russians then "deliberately opened fire with deadly force", Kyiv said. Those still showing "signs of life" were then "finished off at close range with automatic fire".

The Ukrainian prosecutor's office said on Tuesday that "measures are currently being taken to verify the published material." The alleged incident was reported to have taken place close to the villages of Sukhiyi Yar and Mykolayivka near Pokrovsk, a strategic hub that Russia is trying to capture. It is the latest allegation of POWs being killed during the conflict.

In March 2023 a video showing an imprisoned Ukrainian soldier shouting "Glory to Ukraine!" moments before being executed by shooting squad, went viral.

The UN has documented "numerous violations of international humanitarian law against prisoners of war, including cases of summary execution of both Russian and Ukrainian POWs", a spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office said last year.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's army said on Wednesday it had withdrawn from the eastern town of Vugledar, handing Russia one of its most significant territorial gains in weeks. The fall of the coal mining town raised new questions about Ukraine's defensive positions along its southeastern front line with Russia advancing ahead of winter. Around 14,000 people lived in Vugledar before Russia attacked.

"The High Command gave permission for a manoeuvre to withdraw units from Vugledar in order to save personnel and military equipment and take up a position for further operations," Ukraine's Khortytsia group of troops, which operates in the area, said in a Telegram post. — AFP