Today, September 17, it was reported that a Ukrainian prisoner of war was likely executed with a sword by Russian forces. The Office of the Prosecutor General has launched an investigation.
This was reported by the Telegram channel of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
It is noted that the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office has initiated a pre-trial investigation into violations of the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder.
According to Telegram channels that published information about the execution of the Ukrainian defender, the war crime was committed in the city of Novohrodivka. In the published photos, one of the hands of the deceased soldier was wrapped in duct tape, and the soldier was not wearing military gear.
“The criminal regime continues its deliberate policy of destroying everything Ukrainian, displaying its superhuman cruelty to the world and cynically disregarding all values and norms of the civilized world. Our goal is to find and punish everyone involved in these crimes. The world must witness the atrocities of the occupiers and respond decisively to every such case,” said Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
Investigative and search actions are currently underway, and the circumstances of the crime are being examined to identify the individuals involved and responsible.
The location of the execution has been identified.
“At present, the location depicted in the photos, where the crime was committed in the city of Novohrodivka in the Pokrovsky district of Donetsk region, has been preliminarily established,” said Denys Lysenko, head of the Department for Countering Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict, during a broadcast of the telethon.
The exact time, the victim, and the individuals involved in the war crime are still being determined. Information about the commanders will also be gathered.
"Unfortunately, such cases are systemic. To date, law enforcement agencies have initiated 36 criminal cases related to the possible execution of prisoners of war on the battlefield immediately after capture. The circumstances surrounding the execution of 84 Ukrainian defenders are being investigated," he added.
In June 2024, Kostin reported that since the beginning of the full-scale war, nearly 130,000 war crimes had been documented. Among these crimes were 301 cases of sexual violence.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, also noted that all those held in enemy captivity are subjected to a system of torture.
