Ukrainian officials are sounding the alarm after a disturbing video surfaced online, allegedly showing the execution of at least five unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) by Russian soldiers.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, has appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to urgently respond to what he called a blatant war crime.
He shared the update on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
The video, now circulating on social media, appears to show Ukrainian soldiers in captivity, likely executed at close range while unarmed and non-combative. The footage has not yet been independently verified, but it has already sparked widespread outrage.
"This video once again shows the cynical disregard for international humanitarian law by the Russian army," Lubinets wrote. "Those who give such orders and those who carry them out must be held strictly accountable."
This is not the first time Russian forces have been accused of executing Ukrainian prisoners.
Just weeks ago, a Russian military officer admitted to killing a Ukrainian POW in Russia’s Kursk region, as previously reported by Ukrinform.
Ukrainian and international human rights experts have repeatedly accused Russian forces of systematic repressive practices, including torture, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions, particularly targeting Ukrainians in occupied territories or in captivity.
Ukraine’s appeal to the UN and the ICRC aims to put international pressure on Moscow and ensure that alleged war crimes do not go unpunished. Lubinets emphasized that violations like this not only break the Geneva Conventions, which protect prisoners of war, but also undermine basic human rights and decency.
