Executions of Ukrainian POWs “enabled” and “endorsed” by Russian commanders – reports
Source: ISW
An alarming increase in Russian forces executing Ukrainian POWs has drawn attention of military experts after
nine Ukrainian POWS were killed near the village of Zelenyi Shliakh in the Kursk region on October 10, according to a recent assessment by analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Ukrainian project “Deepstate” reported on the killing of 9 troops on October 13. According to the report, Ukrainian drone operators encountered Russian troops in what they likely believed to be their rear zone and came under Russian fire. With limited ammunition, they had no choice but to surrender, and they were subsequently taken prisoner. Evidence suggests that the Russian troops disarmed, lined up, stripped, and executed the Ukrainian POWs.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of increasing executions across various combat zones as Russian commanders are likely to writ large condoning, encouraging, or directly ordering the execution of Ukrainian POWs.
The ISW continues to monitor videos and reports of Ukrainian POW executions and identifies a growing trend of Russian abuses. These acts appear to be tolerated, if not explicitly approved, by certain Russian commanders.
Analysts also noted that many Russian military bloggers have largely cheered on the executions, with some justifying and even celebrating the killings as they claimed that “the executions were deserved or that such executions are a common aspect of war,” said the report.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.