Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating 49 criminal cases related to the killing of at least 124 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) by Russian forces.
Many of these incidents reportedly occurred in the Donetsk region, according to Denys Lysenko, head of the Department for Combating Crimes within Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General.
“We are analyzing these incidents to identify patterns and trends,” Lysenko said during a televised interview.
He noted that Ukrainian authorities are building cases against high-ranking Russian military officials who may be involved in organizing or permitting these crimes to go unpunished.
The cases focus on the role of specific military units, although senior commanders are also being held accountable.
Reports indicate a rise in incidents where Ukrainian soldiers were killed while attempting to surrender, with most cases concentrated in the Donetsk region.
Lysenko mentioned two recent incidents: on October 23, three Ukrainian POWs were killed in eastern Selydove, and on November 1, three more were executed near Vyshneve in the Selydove community.
Investigations are also underway into the deaths of six Ukrainian soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, led by the Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office.
These acts are being investigated as war crimes under Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
