The Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, appealed to the UN and the ICRC to find out all the circumstances of the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Avdiivka by Russian fighters.
Lubinets appealed to the ICRC and the UN over the execution of Ukrainian POWs
He reported this in Telegram.
As the Ombudsman of Ukraine, I urgently sent letters to the ICRC and the UN to record this war crime and clarify all the circumstances. I note that this is not the first time that Russia grossly violates the norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions by executing prisoners of war, — wrote Lubinets.
Dmytro Lubinets
The Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights
Lubinets added that the exit from Avdiivka took place under conditions of continuous bombing, so it was problematic to evacuate seriously wounded soldiers. The Russians fired at escape routes and cars.
Due to the complete encirclement of the "Zenith" stronghold, the command decided to contact the coordination center and organizations that are negotiating with the enemy side. The dialogue was about providing assistance to our seriously wounded unarmed servicemen, in accordance with international laws and rules of conduct that protect prisoners of war, — the Ombudsman said.
He noted that the Russian aggressors agreed to save the lives of severely wounded unarmed service members, to provide them with aid and to exchange them. But in the end, they were executed.
The families of the defenders identified Georgii Pavlov, Andrii Dubnytskyi, and Ivan Zhitnyk as the dead. Oleksandr Zinchuk and Mykola Savosik, who were shot by Russian soldiers, were also with them. Regarding the sixth fighter, the information has not yet been confirmed.
What is known about the executions of soldiers in Avdiivka and Vesele
According to the prosecutor's office, on February 18, one of the Telegram channels published a message about the execution of six AFU POWs at one of the positions in Avdiivka. The defenders were seriously injured and were waiting for evacuation.
In addition to the previous one, a video recording with a fragment of the murder of 2 more soldiers near the village of Vesele in the Bakhmut district, was also discovered.
The recording from the drone camera shows how, during the assault on our positions, representatives of the Russian Armed Forces shot at close range, first at one captured AFU soldier and then at the second.
Not wanting to leave the captives alive, the occupier deliberately kills them with automatic weapons, — emphasised the representatives of the prosecutor's office.
On February 16, the OSTG "Tavria" commander, Brig Gen Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, announced the decision to withdraw from the "Zenith" position on the southeastern outskirts of Avdiivka. Even later, the AFU Commander-in-Chief, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrsky, stated that our soldiers left the city to avoid being surrounded by the enemy.
