Russian Forces Execute 5 Unarmed Ukrainian Soldiers Point Blank in Pokrovsk Direction

Russian forces executed 5 captured Ukrainian soldiers in the Pokrovsk direction of the Donetsk region, the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office reported.

According to preliminary data, in November 2024, Russian troops launched an assault on Ukrainian positions near the village of Petrivka. Outnumbered, Ukrainian soldiers were forced to retreat and seek refuge in a private house. However, Russian forces surrounded the building and captured them.

“The soldiers were forced to surrender unarmed, lie on the ground, and were then executed with automatic weapons—a grave violation of international law,” the Prosecutor's Office wrote. “Prosecutors have launched an investigation into this war crime, which involved deliberate murder.”

Earlier in November, Ukrainian prosecutors initiated an investigation into a suspected war crime by Russian forces. Two soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine were taken captive and allegedly forced to strip naked and marched under armed escort through a wooded area, where they were subsequently executed.

In October, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported a rise in the executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian military forces. Their latest reports suggest that Russian commanders may be permitting, encouraging, or even directly ordering these acts.