Occupiers Shot 16 Ukrainian Prisoners of War Near Pokrovs'k, Investigation Launched.

Law enforcement officers have launched an investigation into information that appeared on social media about Russian occupiers executing Ukrainian servicemen who were taken prisoner in the Pokrovs'k direction. This was reported by the press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

On October 1, 2024, information appeared in Telegram channels about the alleged shooting by RF Armed Forces representatives of 16 Ukrainian servicemen. According to media reports, the latest war crime by the Russian occupation army was committed near the villages of Mykolaivka and Sukhyi Yar in the Pokrovs'k district. The published video captures how, under the control of the enemy, AFU servicemen taken prisoner emerged from the forest belt. After they lined up, the occupiers deliberately opened fire to kill them. The wounded who showed signs of life were finished off at close range with automatic gunfire, according to the message in the Telegram channel.

Such actions are noted as a cynical and gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualify as a severe international crime. Under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, a pre-trial investigation has been launched into the violation of the laws and customs of war combined with intentional murder (part 2 of article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

This is the most massive known case of the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the front line. And this is another testament to the fact that the killings and torture of prisoners are not accidental but a deliberate policy of the Russian military and political leadership, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin emphasized.

Law enforcement officers are taking measures to verify the published material. Investigative and search actions have been initiated to ascertain all the circumstances of this crime.

Recall that the independent international commission of the UN for investigating violations in Ukraine has found new evidence of tortures by Russia of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war in the occupied territories of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Further investigation by the Commission of cases of torture indicates that the Russian authorities used torture in the occupied regions of Ukraine. New evidence confirms the Commission's preliminary conclusion that torture committed by the Russian authorities was widespread.

Earlier, an investigation was launched into the fact of the likely execution of a Ukrainian serviceman by representatives of the Russian army. The Office of the Prosecutor General noted that currently, several investigative and search actions are being conducted, and the circumstances of the execution are being studied to identify those involved and those responsible: "Within the framework of the criminal proceedings, instructions and requests have been sent to the relevant competent services and institutions."