Russian troops reportedly executed five unarmed Ukrainian soldiers after capturing them near the village of Petrivka in the Pokrovsk direction of Donetsk, the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office has announced on Telegram.
According to preliminary reports, the incident occurred in November 2024 during a Russian assault on Ukrainian positions. Outnumbered and under heavy attack, Ukrainian soldiers retreated and sought refuge in a private house.
However, Russian forces surrounded the building and captured the soldiers.
“The soldiers were forced to surrender unarmed, lie on the ground, and were then executed with automatic weapons,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated. “This is a grave violation of international law, and prosecutors have launched an investigation into this deliberate war crime.”
This incident follows other reported cases of atrocities involving Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Earlier in November, Ukrainian prosecutors began investigating a separate case in which two captured Ukrainian soldiers were allegedly stripped naked and marched under armed escort through a wooded area before being executed.
In October, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) highlighted a troubling increase in the execution of Ukrainian prisoners by Russian forces.
Their reports suggest that such acts may be sanctioned or even ordered by Russian commanders.
The execution of unarmed soldiers violates international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which protect prisoners of war.
These latest allegations add to the growing list of reported war crimes committed during the conflict, intensifying calls for accountability.
