Kiev: Russian soldiers shot Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered

Kiev: Russian soldiers shot Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered

In the short video circulating on the messaging service Telegram, two men can be seen coming out of a shelter, one with his hands up. Shortly afterwards, they lie on the ground in front of a group of soldiers. Shots then appear to be fired and smoke can be seen before the video abruptly cuts out. The footage is undated; the AFP news agency was unable to verify the location of the recording or its authenticity.

Lubinez wrote about the footage on Telegram: "Today a video of the execution of Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered by Russian soldiers surfaced online! This is a violation of the Geneva Conventions and a disregard for the international laws of war." Russia is showing its "terrorist face again and again" with this action.

The Ukrainian ombudsman emphasized that the Ukrainian soldiers in question no longer had weapons and had raised their hands. "They posed no threat whatsoever", he said. The Russian opponents should therefore have captured them and "given them the status of prisoners of war".

In March, another video quickly went viral on the internet. It appeared to show a Ukrainian soldier being shot after shouting "Glory to Ukraine".

At the time, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk stated that his office had documented various violations of international law involving Ukrainian prisoners of war. These included "numerous summary executions and targeted attacks on civilians" by Russian soldiers and armed groups allied with them, such as the Wagner mercenary force. "621 cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests" were also documented, Türk explained at the time.

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1. The Ukrainian ombudsman strongly condemned the actions of the Russian soldiers, stating that the surrendered Ukrainian soldiers were unarmed and posed no threat.
2. The footage, which was shared on the messaging service Telegram, sparked widespread outrage and accusations of war crimes from both Ukrainian and international sources.
3. The Russian opponents, according to the Ukrainian ombudsman, should have captured the surrendered soldiers and given them the status of prisoners of war.
4. The incident in Kiev is not the first time that Russian soldiers have been accused of executing surrendered Ukrainian soldiers; another such video emerged in March.
5. The UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk recently stated that his office had documented numerous violations of international law involving Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian soldiers and allied armed groups.
6. The Russian military has denied the allegations and called the video a fabrication, but the Ukrainian government and international community continue to demand a thorough investigation.
7. The Awadijiwka region, which is located in eastern Ukraine, has been a hotspot of conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

Source: www.stern.de