The Ombudsman Will Appeal to The UN Over the Execution of Ukrainian Prisoners of War
Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, plans to address several international organizations, including the UN, following the release of a video depicting the execution of Ukrainian military personnel, who surrendered as prisoners of war, by Russian soldiers.
The Ombudsman announced this on his official social media page.
According to Lubinets, he has already contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross, whose mandate includes documenting crimes against prisoners of war. Additionally, the Ukrainian official will approach the United Nations to have the UN monitoring mission record this incident as "another vivid example of Russia's violation of international humanitarian law."
"Russia must be held accountable for every such case of executing Ukrainian military personnel who surrender as prisoners of war! I emphasize that these are not isolated incidents – it is the murder of soldier Oleksandr Matsievsky and other military personnel who surrendered as prisoners of war. This includes the public execution of prisoners of war in Olenivka," emphasized Lubinets.
The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine has already announced the initiation of an investigation into the video released, showing Russian military personnel shooting two Ukrainian soldiers who decided to surrender as prisoners of war.
"The video captures a group of individuals in Russian uniforms firing at two unarmed servicemen in the Ukrainian Armed Forces uniform who surrendered as prisoners of war. Currently, investigators and prosecutors have initiated an investigation into this fact," the Prosecutor General's Office statement said.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the shooting likely took place at one of the observation points in the area of the village of Stepove, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region.
As a reminder, the day before, a video appeared in the media clearly showing that the Ukrainian military were unarmed and did not pose a threat to the Russians, but the Russian military opened fire on them.
The Strategic Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the shooting of two Ukrainian prisoners of war, stressing that Russia had once again violated the laws and customs of war, as well as international law.
It is worth noting that this is not the only instance where the Russian side has shot Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Recall that in March 2023, the global community was shocked by a video in which Russian military personnel shot an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war after he shouted the slogan "Glory to Ukraine."