ISW suggests Russian commanders likely encourage execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war - ISW

Before concluding, analysts recalled the most recent known case of the execution of Ukrainian prisoners. On October 10, OSINT reported that Russian forces executed nine Ukrainian POWs near the village of Zeleny Shlyakh in the Kursk region.

According to reports, Ukrainian drone operators unexpectedly encountered Russian forces in an area they likely believed to be a safe rear zone and came under Russian fire. Facing a shortage of ammunition, they were forced to surrender and were subsequently taken captive by Russian troops.

Images of the execution suggest that Russian forces disarmed, lined up, separated, and then shot the Ukrainian POWs. ISW reminded that the Geneva Convention prohibits the execution of prisoners of war or individuals who are clearly incapacitated.

ISW conclusions

Analysts have recently observed a rise in the number of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces along the entire front line. Experts concluded that Russian commanders likely condoned, encouraged, or directly issued orders for the execution of POWs.

The largest single incident of such executions occurred on October 1, when Russian troops executed 16 Ukrainian soldiers near the Pokrovsk direction.

"ISW continues to track footage and reports of Russian servicemembers executing Ukrainian POWs and has observed a wider trend of Russian abuses against Ukrainian POWs across various sectors of the front that appear to be enabled, if not explicitly endorsed, by individual Russian commanders," the report states.

Earlier, it was reported that approximately 80% of all executions of Ukrainian servicemen by Russian forces occurred in 2024. Specifically, 93 Ukrainian soldiers were confirmed dead, as noted by Yuri Bilousov, Head of the Ukrainian Department for Combating Crimes in Conditions of Armed Conflict, during a televised statement.