Russia executes Ukrainian POWs in Zaporizhia, prosecutors confirm

Soldiers from Russia's 38th separate motorized rifle brigade executed Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Hulyaipole direction of Zaporizhia region, according to Southern Forces Group spokesperson Maksym Kravchuk and the Prosecutor General's office.

Ukrainian military personnel witnessed the killings and documented the incident. The Prosecutor General's office confirmed it has opened a criminal investigation into the war crime.

War crime under international law

The execution of prisoners of war is a serious violation of international humanitarian law, explicitly prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. Human rights organizations and Ukrainian prosecutors have documented numerous cases of alleged POW executions by Russian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. The International Criminal Court has ongoing investigations into alleged war crimes in Ukraine.