Russians execute four captured National Guardsmen near Selydove - prosecutors

Law enforcers have launched an investigation into the extrajudicial execution of four captured Ukrainian servicemen near Selydove.

That’s according to the Prosecutor General's Office, Ukrinform reports.

A pre-trial investigation was launched into the violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder.

The inquiry learned that on October 6, four soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine were on a combat mission in the area of Selydove, Donetsk region, when around 13:00, Russian troops launched an assault on their positions, capturing the National Guardsmen. After that, the Russians interrogated the group, recording the process on video.

The next day, the Defense Forces regained lost positions, discovering the bodies of the murdered Ukrainian servicemen.

The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a serious international crime, the PGO emphasized.

The pre-trial inquiry is run by the Main Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukrainian prosecutors are also probing the execution on the battlefield of the two captured Ukrainian soldiers on October 18.

The investigation learned that the Ukrainian soldiers were first forced to lay on the ground head down before being shot with automatic rifles.