Since December 2023, the Russian occupiers have executed at least 15 Ukrainian defenders who tried to surrender.
How many soldiers of the Armed Forces could be executed by the occupiers of the Russian Federation
Human Rights Watch has determined that since December 2023, Russian invaders are likely to have executed at least 15 Ukrainian servicemen who attempted to surrender, and possibly six more who surrendered or had already surrendered.
According to human rights defenders, confirmed facts of the execution of prisoners or soldiers who wanted to surrender should be investigated as war crimes.
Extrajudicial executions — or murders — of surrendered and wounded Ukrainian soldiers shot in cold blood, which is categorically prohibited by international law, also belong to this shameful legacy, said Human Rights Watch Deputy Crisis and Conflict Director Belkis Wille.
Human Rights Watch investigated three cases of executions of at least 12 Ukrainian soldiers. Human rights activists checked and analyzed drone videos that were published on social networks on December 2 and 27, 2023 and February 5, 2024.
In these cases, the Ukrainian military clearly showed that they wanted to surrender. According to international law, they were considered to have withdrawn from combat.
Human rights defenders were able to establish the places of execution in two out of three cases.
Human Rights Watch also investigated a fourth case by analyzing another video posted on social media on February 19. On the footage, two Russian soldiers execute three unarmed Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered. The fifth case established that the Russians executed at least six Ukrainian soldiers.
The human rights organization sent a request to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, asking him to comment on the incidents described above. Moscow did not respond.
What is known about the execution of Ukrainian defenders by the Russians
According to a UN report, the Russian army executed at least 32 captured Ukrainian soldiers during the winter.
At the same time, the President's Office notes that they recorded the murder of 54 Ukrainian prisoners by the occupiers. 27 criminal cases were opened based on the facts of the execution.
One of the most high-profile cases of the execution of a Ukrainian prisoner was the murder of military officer Oleksandr Matsievskyi. The occupiers shot the hero near the town of Soledar, Donetsk region, after saying "Glory to Ukraine".
He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, and a monument was erected in Kyiv in honor of Oleksandr Matsievsky.
