Ukrainian ombudsman explains rise in executions of Ukrainian POWs by Russians
Photo: Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine).
The Russian soldiers deliberately execute Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russia uses this tactic to intimidate its own soldiers and change the international order, stated Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.
“Russians are doing this consciously. Several possible reasons: first, to ‘tie’ Russian soldiers with blood, so they don't surrender, understanding they are war criminals. If they execute Ukrainian POWs, they are told that the same fate awaits them if they surrender," Lubinets explained.
The ombudsman also believes that Russia aims to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the current international humanitarian law system.
"Russians are now pursuing a tactic of undermining the current international humanitarian law framework, suggesting it doesn’t exist and must be changed. During these changes, they will likely push their own interests, such as increasing the number of permanent members in the UN Security Council among countries supporting Russia. This is extremely dangerous for all of us,” he emphasized.
Lubinets added that cases of Ukrainian POW executions are reported to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN, “to ensure that the issue of executing Ukrainian POWs is addressed at the highest level in the UN General Assembly, with legal consequences for Russia."
"Perhaps we need to introduce separate sanction lists against Russians involved in these acts. I hope that one day our international partners will understand that only strong economic sanctions can stop Russian aggression. This is the only thing that can stop this aggression. Everything else, as you can see, isn’t working, and the situation worsens every day,” the ombudsman stated.
Executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war
Ukrainian law enforcement has repeatedly reported instances of executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces.
On November 5, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported the shooting of six Ukrainian POWs in the Pokrovsk direction.
The largest known execution to date involved the killing of 16 captured Ukrainian defenders by Russian soldiers in the same direction.
Previously, it was reported that law enforcement authorities are investigating 49 criminal cases related to the killings of Ukrainian POWs on the battlefield. Currently, more than 120 fallen defenders are known.
