Russia is allegedly ratcheting up its heinous war crimes, executing Ukrainian prisoners at an increasingly high rate — with 86% of all of the murders occurring this past year.
At least 147 Ukrainian POWs have been executed since Russia invaded the country in 2022 — and 127 of them were killed just this year, according to the Ukrainian government.
“The upward trend is very clear, very obvious,” Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s War Department head Yuri Belousov told the BBC, adding that executions have been “systemic” since November 2023.
“Sadly their number has been particularly on the rise this summer and autumn. This tells us that they are not isolated cases. They are happening across vast areas, and they have clear signs of being part of a policy — there is evidence that instructions to this effect are being issued,” he added.
In October, at least nine Ukrainian POWs were stripped half-naked and gunned down by their Russian captors in Kursk.
Ample footage and images have emerged providing evidence of other cruel Russian executions, but often the location and date of the killings are difficult to determine.
One such video that emerged in September showed 16 Ukrainian soldiers who lined up to surrender but were instead mowed down by Russian machine-gun fire.
In other instances, freed POWs have returned to safety terrifyingly thin and frail — apparently starved in captivity.
Torture of prisoners at Russian hands has also been reported.
The execution of POWs is considered a war crime according to international humanitarian laws and the Geneva Convention.
The Russians’ alleged methods of execution have been particularly depraved.
Reports have emerged of Ukrainians being beheaded by their captors, and in one incident, a soldier’s body was even found run through with a sword while his hands were tied behind his back.
Russia has categorically denied committing any war crimes in Ukraine, with President Vladimir Putin insisting his forces have “always” treated prisoners “strictly in line with international legal documents and international conventions.”
Merely mentioning ugly allegations of Kremlin misconduct in Ukraine has been made illegal in Russia, and several people charged with spreading “deliberately false information” have landed themselves in jail for years, according to the BBC.
Groups such as Human Rights Watch say the country is guilty of “a litany of violations, including those which should be investigated as war crimes or crimes against humanity.”
Ukraine has opened investigations into the few allegations made about its own troops executing Russian soldiers.
The Ukrainian government says it’s recorded at least 130,000 Russian war crimes since the invasion began, Reuters reported, while thousands of Ukrainians are believed to be held captive, according to the Center for European Policy Analysis.
