Three years of reporting, funded by our readers — become a member now and help us prepare for 2025.
Goal: 1,000 new members for our birthday. Gift a membership to your friend and help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Become a member Gift membership
Skip to content
Edit post

Russian soldiers who executed Ukrainian POWs near Robotyne identified, military intelligence says

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk June 19, 2024 4:16 PM 2 min read
Illustrative purposes only: Russian soldiers patrol a street in occupied Melitopol on May 1, 2022. (Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said on June 19 that it had identified Russian soldiers who executed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) near Zaporizhzhia Oblast's Robotyne last month.

A video taken in the second half of May captured Russian troops executing four surrendering Ukrainian soldiers near Robotyne, a front-line village in the southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The Ukrainian soldiers were made to lie down on their faces, after which they were shot in the back, the video shows. Ukraine's military intelligence stressed that this act constitutes a war crime.

This comes as yet another evidence of Russian war crimes committed against Ukrainian prisoners, both military and civilian, throughout the full-scale war.

The perpetrators were identified as soldiers of the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42 Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Army, the intelligence agency said. The regiment's usual station is the town of Shali in Chechnya.

The names of the alleged perpetrators are Captain Dmitry Nagornyi, Senior Lieutenant Temirlan Abutalimov, Lieutenant Zaur Bekov, and Senior Lieutenant Yusup Imagazaliev.

The intelligence agency also identified the commander of the regiment at the time of the execution as Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Abayev.

"These specific Russian war criminals may also be involved in the murder of several more Ukrainian prisoners of war later in May 2024," the agency said, saying they possess intercepted radio conversation as evidence.

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

Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said on June 18 that Russian commanders had given orders "not to capture Ukrainian servicemen, but instead to kill them with inhuman cruelty." He made the statement after revealing footage of a Ukrainian soldier beheaded by Russian troops.

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.”
Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. Thanks to our community we've been able to keep our reporting free and accessible to everyone. For our third birthday, we're looking for 1,000 new members to help fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Three years. Millions of readers. All thanks to 12,000 supporters.
It’s thanks to readers like you that we can celebrate another birthday this November. We’re looking for another 1,000 members to help fund our mission, keep our journalism accessible for all, and prepare for whatever 2025 might bring. Consider gifting a membership today or help us spread the word.
Help us get 1,000 new members!
Become a member Gift membership
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.