Over the past year, the number of executions by the occupiers of Ukrainian prisoners of war has increased. The Office of the Prosecutor General emphasizes that these crimes are not isolated incidents, but a purposeful policy of the Russian Federation.
Points of attention
- The increase in executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war is the result of a deliberate policy of the Russian Federation, it is not a random event, but a purposeful strategy.
- Holding the occupiers accountable for war and crimes before an international court is an important step in restoring justice and healing the victims.
- The need to cooperate with international partners to hold Russia accountable and prosecute participants in the war in eastern Ukraine.
- The investigation of war crimes and executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war requires great efforts and cooperation at the international level.
The number of executions by the occupiers of the Russian Federation of Ukrainian prisoners of war is increasing
Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin reported that in 2024, the number of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russian occupiers increased. Torture and extrajudicial executions have become a tool of war, a means of intimidation and destruction.
Kostin emphasized that these are not isolated cases, but a purposeful policy. In particular, there is an audio recording where a Russian officer orders his soldiers not to take prisoners, but to kill Ukrainians on the battlefield.
As the head of the Prosecutor General's Office noted, one of the key tasks of justice is to bring Russia and its leadership to justice for the crime of aggression, without which there would not be more than 140,000 war crimes.
Many Russian war criminals have been convicted by Ukrainian courts in absentia, but court verdicts are important for the process of restoring justice and healing the victims, Kostin emphasized.
The Prosecutor General said that the investigation of war crimes during the conflict is an extremely difficult process.
It is necessary to bring to justice the organizers of this invasion - the president, the prime minister, members of the so-called "troika" - and show that they will not escape punishment, despite the gaps in international law. The International Criminal Court does not have jurisdiction over this issue, but we are working on a legal mechanism with about 40 countries around the world.
Therefore, if Putin dares to come to the G20 summit in Brazil, he should be arrested. The refusal to execute the arrest warrant only strengthens Russia's position. All our hopes now rest on the independence of the Brazilian judicial system, - noted the Prosecutor General.
Russian occupiers executed 93 Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield
The law enforcement officers have data on the execution of 93 Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russian military on the battlefield. This was reported by the head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Conditions of Armed Conflict of the Prosecutor General's Office, Yuriy Belousov.
According to him, 80% of cases of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war were recorded this year. At the same time, the trend began to appear in November of last year, when "there were changes in the attitude of Russian servicemen towards our prisoners of war for the worse," the head of the "war department" noted.
