The number of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war has increased on the front line: UN statistics.

The UN Human Rights Office in Ukraine published a report stating that the number of Ukrainian prisoners of war killed by the Russian Federation on the battlefield continues to rise. According to the report, since the end of August 2024, 79 cases of execution have been recorded in 24 separate incidents. Many soldiers who surrendered were shot on the spot. The monitoring mission analyzed photos and videos from Ukrainian and Russian sources showing the bodies of the deceased or places of execution.

«These cases did not occur in a vacuum. Public figures in the Russian Federation openly called for inhumane treatment and even execution of captured Ukrainian servicemen,» said the head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, Daniel Bell.

Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating more than 49 criminal cases concerning the killings of over 124 Ukrainian prisoners of war on the battlefield. Photos from Russian news sources showing the severed head of a Ukrainian serviceman are also circulating online. The identification of the deceased has been carried out by the relevant authorities.

In Donetsk, Russian occupiers shot six Ukrainian servicemen they were holding captive. Law enforcement agencies have launched an investigation into this incident. It is known that the occupier from the 'Storm' unit of the 30th separate motorized rifle brigade of the Russian Federation, Oleg Yakovlev, pointed out the Ukrainian fighters who surrendered and shot them.