The execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war is a systematic policy of the Russian Federation – FT.

According to an investigation by the Financial Times, the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian military personnel is a common occurrence. During the investigation, one of the perpetrators of such killings was identified - Oleg Yakovlev from a Russian brigade, who published a video of this on his YouTube channel. The video shows unarmed Ukrainian prisoners approaching a soldier, after which six of them were shot. Experts confirmed that the voice of the killer indeed belongs to Yakovlev.

According to the Financial Times, investigators have established that Yakovlev's brigade is involved in numerous war crimes, including battlefield killings. However, in July, this brigade was awarded a medal for bravery. The Financial Times documented over 30 instances of killings captured on video by drones and mobile phones. Investigators and human rights defenders assert that such cases are systemic.

The head of the Department of War Crime Investigations of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, Yuriy Belousov, stated that the killings pose a significant risk to Ukrainian soldiers in captivity and are part of Russian policy. According to official data, over 125,000 cases have been opened regarding war crimes by the Russians since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. Only in 2024, 43 cases of killings, in which 133 people died, are already under investigation.