Prosecutors investigating report of Russian execution of 16 Ukrainian soldiers on Pokrovsk front

The Prosecutor's Office has initiated a preliminary investigation into information published on October 1 regarding the alleged execution of 16 Ukrainian servicemen by members of the Russian Armed Forces.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Office of the Prosecutor General shared this update on Facebook.

Under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, an investigation has been launched into violations of the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder (Part 2, Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

"On October 1, 2024, information appeared on Telegram channels about the alleged execution of 16 Ukrainian servicemen by the Russian Armed Forces. According to media reports, this latest war crime by the Russian occupying army occurred in the area between the villages of Mykolaivka and Sukhyi Yar in Pokrovsk district," the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) stated.

According to prosecutors, a video shows Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers, taken prisoner, emerging from a forest under enemy control. "After lining them up in a row, the occupiers deliberately opened fire, aiming to kill. The wounded soldiers who showed signs of life were executed at close range with automatic fire," the office added.

The PGO emphasized that such actions are a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions and are classified as a grave international crime.

"This is the largest known execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the front lines. It is further evidence that the killing and torture of prisoners is not an accident, but a deliberate policy of the Russian military and political leadership," said Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin.

Steps are currently being taken to verify the published material. Investigative and search actions are underway to establish the full circumstances of the crime.

As reported by Ukrinform, prosecutors previously launched an investigation into a September 3 report about the alleged execution of Ukrainian servicemen by Russian forces.