Russians execute at least 20 Ukrainian soldiers since December last year – HRW
2 May 2024 17:56
Since the beginning of December 2023, the Russian military has killed at least 15 Ukrainian servicemen who tried to surrender and at least six more who had already surrendered. This is stated in a report by the international human rights organisation Human Rights Watch, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
According to the report, “by verifying and analysing drone footage posted on social media on 2 and 27 December 2023 and 25 February 2024, Human Rights Watch investigated three episodes of alleged extrajudicial executions of at least 12 Ukrainian soldiers.”
After analysing video footage, Human Rights Watch researchers identified the locations where two of the three incidents took place, but were unable to determine the exact location of the third due to the lack of accurate geo-data on the video footage. Human Rights Watch was also unable to determine which side owned the drone that captured the video.
Human Rights Watch verified the fourth case by analysing another video that appeared on social media on 19 February. It shows two Russian soldiers shooting three unarmed Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered. Although the owner of the page where the video was posted indicated the location of the incident, Human Rights Watch was unable to independently verify it.
The investigation into the fifth incident was based on an interview with a Ukrainian soldier, a video posted on a Telegram channel on 16 February, and media reports, including interviews with family members of one of the deceased. Six soldiers were reportedly executed in this case, although the circumstances of the incident were less clear.
In one of the five incidents of 25 February, verified drone video footage shows at least seven Ukrainian soldiers emerging from a dugout among trees between two fields. They remove their body armour, at least one soldier removes his helmet, and all lie face down while five Russian soldiers point their weapons at them.
“The Russian soldiers can be identified by the clearly visible red bandages on their arms and legs. The three Russian soldiers then fire in the direction of the apparently surrendered Ukrainian soldiers – from behind, to the right and to the left,”
– hRW describes the situation.
Six Ukrainian soldiers remain lying on the ground, visibly reacting to the gunfire, while another soldier tries to return to his dugout but is shot dead. The incident took place near the village of Ivanivske in Donetsk region. The geolocation was first verified by a GeoConfirmed volunteer with the nickname EjShahid, and later confirmed by Human Rights Watch researchers.
The authenticity of another video showing the killing of three Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered was also confirmed.
As noted in the report, extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian prisoners or surrendering soldiers have been reported before, and “these alleged extrajudicial executions appear to be not isolated incidents”.
In March, a report published on the official website of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that since December, there had been reports of at least 32 captured military personnel or Ukrainians who surrendered, but not all of these reports could be confirmed.
According to Human Rights Watch, the organisation “sent a letter to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on 22 April asking for information on the cases described and whether Russian soldiers are receiving orders to kill surrendering Ukrainian soldiers instead of taking them prisoner. There was no response to the letter”.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has not yet commented on the publication. Earlier, the Russian military denied cases of killing Ukrainians who surrendered and, on the contrary, pointed to cases of killing captured Russian soldiers. Several such cases have also been previously noted in UN and human rights reports.
