Officials in Kyiv launch investigation into executions of five Ukrainian POWs outside Donetsk

Ukrainian national security officials have opened an investigation into the killing of five Ukrainian prisoners of war on October 2. Ukrainian investigators say Russian forces captured five unarmed Ukrainian soldiers during an assault on their positions near Vuhledar. “One was killed in a wooded area, while the other four were forced at gunpoint onto a road, where they were also executed,” officials said.

Meduza could not verify this information, but Ukrainian prosecutors have published photographs (likely video stills) purportedly showing the bodies of the slain POWs.

As of October 22, 2024, the Ukrainian authorities had opened 53 felony cases involving the murders of 177 Ukrainian soldiers. Most of these cases were launched last year. In recent months, reported Russian executions of Ukrainian POWs have become more frequent. In October and November, prosecutors initiated 13 cases involving the deaths of 54 prisoners of war.