Screenshot from the video
Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating a video shared on Saturday that allegedly showed Russian soldiers shooting unarmed Ukrainian servicemen as they attempted to surrender, in what would be a clear violation of international law if found to be genuine.
The drone footage, likely shot between the villages of Ivanivske and Khromove in eastern Ukraine, appears to show Russian soldiers ordering Ukrainian POWs to leave a trench with their hands raised before firing at them.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said on Monday that prosecutors in the country’s Donetsk region were investigating the incident on the grounds of violation of the customs of war and premeditated murder.
“The aggressor state’s military deliberately killed unarmed and wounded Ukrainian soldiers, ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law,” the statement said.
The prosecutor’s office added that it was currently investigating 19 separate cases in which a total of 45 Ukrainian POWs were allegedly killed by Russian soldiers.
