Since the end of August, the United Nations Human Rights Surveillance Mission in Ukraine has recorded 79 executions of Ukrainian prisoners by Russian troops in 24 distinct incidents, according to its recent report.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has increased a sharp increase in the summary executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by the Russian armed forces.
Since the end of August, the mission has recorded 79 executions of this type in 24 distinct incidents, she says in her latest report.
Many Ukrainian soldiers who went or who were detained by the Russian armed forces were slaughtered on the spot. Witnesses also described the murders of unarmed and injured Ukrainian soldiers.
Other videos and photos published by Ukrainian and Russian sources showing executions or corpses have been analyzed, geolocated and chronolocalized in parallel with detailed interviews with witnesses, explained the mission.
“These incidents have not occurred in the void. Personalities from the Russian Federation have explicitly called for inhuman treatment, or even execution, of captured Ukrainian military staff”said Danielle Bell, the mission head.
In a separate declaration, the UN mission told Euronews that its “Documentation indicates an environment allowing violations to occur, including impunity“.
According to this report, Russian officials explicitly call for inhuman treatments and even executions. UN observers claim to have documented direct orders or execution approvals Reported by military groups linked to the Russian armed forces, which were publicly shared on social media.
The UN surveillance body, also known as HRMMU, said Euronews that representatives of the Russian government, other public figures and the state media regularly use a “dehumanizing language” When they refer to Ukrainian prisoners of war.
This public discourse often portrays Ukrainians as less than Humans and emphasizes the notion of “de-nazification” of Ukraine. Ukrainian prisoners of war reported that their torturers and those who mistreated them often used dehumanizing language, calling them “Nazis”, “fascists” or other similar terms “, explained the organization.
A law that dispenses the authors to answer for their actions?
The UN mission indicates that another aspect to take into account is the Russian law of 2023 which exempts the Russian military personnel from the obligation to accountlaw which was extended in 2024. In October of last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin promulgated measures that allow the accused in criminal cases to avoid prosecution if they are committed to the army.
The Russian forces often document the executions of Ukrainian soldiers themselves and then broadcast them on social networks, which, according to the HRMMU, “represents in itself a V*iolation of international humanitarian law“.*
In one of the most recent cases, a photo was released online by Russian sources, showing a decapitated Ukrainian soldier. The photo shows the cut head of a Ukrainian soldier, presumably held by a Russian soldier.
The Ukrainian soldier was temporarily identified, Artur Dobroserdov said on Tuesday, the commissioner responsible for disappeared in particular circumstances.
Ukrainian police have been responsible for contacting the soldier’s relatives and investigating the case, while the authorities document a new violation of international humanitarian law by Russia.
The Prosecutor General’s office was informed of the incident in the context of efforts to document Russian war crimes.
The Ukrainian authorities have documented generalized violations of the Geneva conventions by Russia, including the execution of 177 Ukrainian soldiers captured in mid-December 2024.