Recent reports from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicate an alarming increase in the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces, a trend that appears to be tolerated and even encouraged by Russian commanders.
Executed Nine Ukrainian Prisoners
On October 10, Russian forces executed nine Ukrainian POWs near the village of Zeleni Shlyah in the Kursk region, according to the Ukrainian analytical project DeepState Map.
The Ukrainian drone operators, initially confident they were in a safe area, unexpectedly encountered Russian forces and, facing limited ammunition, were compelled to surrender. according to Digi24.
Evidence following their execution suggests that the Russian military disarmed, lined up, stripped, and shot the Ukrainian prisoners, indicating a premeditated act.
A Common Aspect of Warfare
On October 13, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Ombudsman for Human Rights, condemned these executions as severe violations of the Geneva Conventions regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.
Lubinets announced he has sent letters regarding this case to the United Nations (UN) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office also initiated an investigation into the reported executions.
ISW reports that an increasing number of Russian forces are executing Ukrainian prisoners across the entire theater of operations, with commanders likely tolerating, encouraging, or even directly ordering these executions.
The ISW continues to monitor images and reports showing Russian soldiers executing Ukrainian POWs and has noted a broader trend of abuses against Ukrainian prisoners that seem to be permitted, if not explicitly approved, by individual Russian commanders.
Moreover, Russian military bloggers, or "milbloggers," have largely celebrated the execution of Ukrainian prisoners, reinforcing a norm of justifying and glorifying war crimes within the broader ultranationalist Russian community.
Many of these bloggers not only justified the executions but also claimed they were deserved or portrayed them as a common aspect of warfare.
