Russians apparently use prisoners as human shields
Russian soldiers are alleged to have abused prisoners of war as shields during an operation in the Zaporizhzhya region. The Ukrainian authorities are investigating. A drone video allegedly showing the war crime serves as evidence.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has initiated criminal proceedings into the alleged abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war as human shields by the Russian military. This was reported by the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, citing the authority's press service.
The background to the proceedings is an almost 19-minute drone video, parts of which were published by the US-funded broadcaster Radio Liberty on Wednesday. The clip shows a group of people in Russian army uniforms with assault rifles moving around the area. Three unarmed people in Ukrainian uniforms walk in front of them, raising their hands in the air. One of the men in Russian uniform can be seen holding a man in Ukrainian uniform by the shoulder and using him as cover.
During the action, the people in Russian uniform repeatedly fire bursts of fire. One of them also throws a grenade. A little later, the group's shots appear to be returned. Another scene shows the armed group retreating with the unarmed people. One person fires his assault rifle at a person in Ukrainian uniform walking in front of him, who then collapses and remains lying on the ground.
"Violation of another Geneva Convention"
According to Radio Liberty, the video was taken by a Ukrainian unit fighting near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhia region. It is not known when the footage was taken. According to the unit, the clip shows battlefield reconnaissance by the Russian military to track down Ukrainian positions. According to the footage, the Russian soldiers used prisoners of war to protect themselves from Ukrainian defensive fire.
"If so, this would be an officially established fact of violation of another Geneva Convention by the Russian Federation," said Dmytro Lubinez, the Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, in an interview with Radio Liberty. "It is strictly forbidden to use prisoners of war to participate in hostilities. This means that after obtaining official status, a prisoner of war must remain in a camp specially set up for prisoners of war, away from hostilities and await the exchange procedure," he added.
According to Radio Liberty, there is no information about the fate of the people in the video. Forces of the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division of the Russian Armed Forces are said to be currently deployed in the Robotyne area.
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The Ukrainian Government strongly condemns the alleged use of Ukrainian prisoners of war as human shields by Russian forces during the attack on Ukraine. This unwarranted act violates international military laws and the Geneva Conventions, which forbid the use of prisoners in hostilities. Despite Russia's denial, drone footage obtained by Radio Liberty provides clear evidence of these unlawful actions, showcasing Russian soldiers using Ukrainian POWs as shields during combat operations.
Source: www.ntv.de
