Five Ukrainian POWs executed by Russian troops near Pokrovsk – reports

Source: Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office

Russian troops executed five captured Ukrainian servicemen in the Pokrovsk area, which is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. According to preliminary reports, the incident took place in November 2024 during a Russian assault on Ukrainian defensive positions near the village of Petrivka in Pokrovske district.

Facing an attack, five Ukrainian soldiers were forced to retreat and sought refuge in a private home. When Russian troops surrounded the place, they made Ukrainian soldies come out of the shelter  and lie on the ground, and then shot them dead with automatic weapons. This act breaches the Geneva Conventions, which protect prisoners of war.

The Office of the Prosecutor General has launched a pretrial investigation, classifying the killings as a war crime. Meanwhile, Ukrainian human rights mbudsman Dmytro Lubinets has filed formal complaints to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.