Russia executed 3 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast, prosecutors say

Russia executed three Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) near Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said on Sept. 3.

The Prosecutor General's Office said it is launching an investigation into the incident.

Earlier, a video circulated on Telegram that showed three Ukrainian soldiers coming out of a basement with their hands up. The Ukrainians were then apprehended by Russian soldiers, placed face down on the ground and summarily shot.

As of March 2024, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office collected pretrial information on over 128,000 victims of war crimes. The prosecutors said at the they are investigating cases of at least 54 Ukrainian POWs being executed by Russia. More cases have likely appeared since then.

In a similar circumstance as the more recent alleged Russian war crimes, a widely circulated video taken in May showed four Ukrainian soldiers being executed face down on the ground after surrendering.

Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said in June that Russian commanders had given orders "not to capture Ukrainian servicemen, but instead to kill them with inhuman cruelty." He made the statement after footage was revealed that showed a Ukrainian soldier beheaded by Russian troops.

"This is terrible barbarism that has no place in the 21st century," Kostin said at the time.

Russian troops beheaded Ukrainian soldier in Donetsk Oblast, Kyiv claims

In a post on social media, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said his office has received information that Russian commanders had given orders “not to capture Ukrainian servicemen, but instead to kill them with inhuman cruelty - by beheading.”

The Kyiv IndependentChris York