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Avdiivka, north of Donetsk: Investigation launched into shootings of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war
Photo: TASS / ITAR-TASS / IMAGO
The Ukrainian army has accused Russia of shooting two Ukrainian prisoners of war. The two men were executed on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian military command said on the Telegram online service. With this act of violence, "the Russians have once again shown their attitude towards international humanitarian law."
The army released a short black and white video from a drone. It shows a soldier firing numerous shots at close range at two prisoners of war who are running toward him in a trench. The authenticity of the video and its place of origin could not initially be verified.
The army command simply stated that the incident occurred in the “Khortytsya” area, which includes the Kharkiv, Luhansk regions and part of Donetsk, but not the city of Avdiivka, which was recently captured by Russia. According to Ukrainian media reports, the incident occurred near the village of Vesele in the Donetsk region.
The Telegram channel DeepState, which is close to the Ukrainian army, had previously said on Sunday that the Russian army shot six Ukrainian soldiers, including two injured, in a position south of Avdiivka on Thursday. “An investigation has been launched into the shootings of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war in Avdiivka and Vesele,” the Donetsk region prosecutor’s office wrote on its Telegram channel.
Killing prisoners is a war crime
Early on Saturday morning, the Ukrainian army command initiated the withdrawal of its soldiers from Avdiivka. There was bitter fighting around the city for months. According to Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnawsky, Ukrainian troops were detained by Russia during the withdrawal.
The killing of prisoners of war is a war crime. In the past, Ukrainian authorities had repeatedly accused Russia of killing unarmed Ukrainian soldiers. No comment was initially available from the Russian Defense Ministry.
eru/AFP/Reuters