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.
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.
Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.
Five armored vehicles “Kozak” have received a new mission – thanks to the support of Metinvest, they have been upgraded to full-fledged command and staff vehicles. These upgraded vehicles are now operating on the front line.