Alarming Rise in Execution Reports: UN Highlights War Crimes

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission reports a rise in executions of captured Ukrainian soldiers by Russian forces, with 79 killings in 24 incidents reported since August 2024. Such actions defy international humanitarian law, which prohibits retaliatory execution of prisoners of war.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has raised alarms over a significant increase in reported executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces in recent months.

Since August 2024, there have been 79 executions in 24 separate incidents, marking a serious violation of international humanitarian laws that prohibit the execution of prisoners of war.

Danielle Bell highlighted explicit calls from some Russian officials for inhumane treatment of captives, while acknowledging isolated execution cases involving Russian soldiers by Ukrainian forces.