The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets appealed to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross in connection with a new case of execution by Russian soldiers of captured defenders of Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian occupiers is a serious breach of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.
- The systematic nature of these crimes highlights the blatant disregard for international law by the aggressor state.
- Dmytro Lubinets has formally reached out to the UN and the ICRC to demand immediate action in response to these violations.
The occupiers shot two Ukrainian prisoners of war
According to him, "it became known from social networks that the enemy probably shot two Ukrainian servicemen on the outskirts of Zatyshsha (Zaporizhzhia region — ed.).
This is another deliberate step by the Russian Federation aimed at intimidation and demonstrative disregard for the norms of international humanitarian law. Such killings are not isolated cases — they form the systemic nature of the criminal behavior of the aggressor state.
Dmytro Lubinets
Ombudsman of Ukraine
Lubinets emphasizes that the killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which qualifies as a grave international crime.
He has already sent official letters to the ICRC and the UN. The international community must immediately respond to such systemic gross violations by Russia.
Previously, the Zaporizhia District Court found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment Russian serviceman Dmitry Kurashov, who in January 2024 shot a Ukrainian soldier on the battlefield who had surrendered and was kneeling with his hands raised.
