UN accuses Russians, as well as Ukrainians, of “summary executions” of prisoners of war

On Friday, the United Nations (UN) accused Ukrainian and Russian forces of carrying out dozens of summary executions of prisoners of war following the Russian invasion. “We are deeply concerned about the summary execution of 25 Russian prisoners of war and persons hors de combat,” as well as “15 Ukrainian prisoners of war,” said Matilda Bogner, head of the human rights monitoring mission UN Representative in Ukraine.

According to her, the UN has documented these shootings of Russians by the Ukrainian armed forces, “often” carried out “immediately after being captured on the battlefield.” The UN is aware of five investigations by Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, involving 22 victims. But “we are not aware of any prosecution of the authors.”

Wagner involved

As for the executions of 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war “shortly after their capture” by the Russian armed forces, 11 of them were carried out by the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, the official said.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of mistreating prisoners amounting to war crimes since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Wagner Group is on the front lines fighting for the city of Bakhmut, the epicenter of hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

In early March, Ukraine was shocked by a video of an alleged execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war by Russian servicemen. In November, the Russian president was outraged by two videos allegedly showing the execution of a dozen Russian soldiers who had just surrendered to Ukrainian forces.