Latest news with #UkrainianPOWs
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
More than 200 Ukrainian POWs have died in Russian prisons. This is one soldier's story.
More than 200 Ukrainian POWs have died in Russian prisons since Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago. Officials from human rights groups, the U.N. and the Ukrainian government say torture, starvation and inadequate health care were likely contributing factors in many of these deaths. These officials say the prison deaths add to evidence that Russia is systematically brutalizing POWs. And they believe that forensic discrepancies between Russian and Ukrainian autopsies, and the repatriation of bodies that are badly mutilated and decomposed, point to an effort by Russia to cover up systematic mistreatment. Russian authorities did not respond to requests for comment. But they have previously accused Ukraine of mistreating Russian POWs — allegations the U.N. has partially backed up. More than 200 Ukrainian POWs have died in Russian prisons. This is one soldier's story. More than 200 Ukrainian POWs have died in Russian prisons since Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago. Officials from human rights groups, the U.N. and the Ukrainian government say torture, starvation and inadequate health care were likely contributing factors in many of these deaths. These officials say the prison deaths add to evidence that Russia is systematically brutalizing POWs. And they believe that forensic discrepancies between Russian and Ukrainian autopsies, and the repatriation of bodies that are badly mutilated and decomposed, point to an effort by Russia to cover up systematic mistreatment. Russian authorities did not respond to requests for comment. But they have previously accused Ukraine of mistreating Russian POWs — allegations the U.N. has partially backed up.
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Takeaways from AP report on Ukrainian POWs dying in Russian prisons
KYIV, Ukraine — More than 200 Ukrainian POWs have died in prison since Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago. Abuse inside Russian prisons likely contributed to many of these deaths, adding to evidence that Russia is systematically brutalizing captured soldiers, according to officials from human rights groups, the U.N. and the Ukrainian government, and a Ukrainian medical examiner who has performed dozens of POW autopsies.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Shoot them on the spot' — Ukraine's military intel records over 150 cases of Russia executing POWs
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) has documented more than 150 cases of Ukrainian soldiers being summarily executed after surrendering to Russian forces, the agency said on May 24. The agency noted that this figure includes those cases recorded by HUR, suggesting the actual total may be higher. The statement came as Kyiv and Moscow began their largest prisoner exchange of the full-scale war. There has been a sharp rise in executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) by Russian forces since 2024. Intelligence officials have cited multiple instances in which Russian troops received direct orders to kill prisoners of war. According to HUR, these acts are not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate and systematic policy of the Russian leadership. This pattern of war crimes has also been confirmed by the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. In a report released on March 19, the commission found a growing number of cases in which Russian forces deliberately killed or maimed Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered or attempted to surrender. "Several (Russian deserters) told the commission that they had received orders not to take prisoners but kill them instead," the U.N. report read. One described a deputy brigade commander saying, "Prisoners are not needed, shoot them on the spot." In February, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine raised alarm over a sharp increase in executions of Ukrainian POWs by Russian forces, documenting 79 POW executions across 24 separate incidents since late August 2024, some involving group killings. The U.N. findings, based on witness testimony and verified media content, describe Ukrainian POWs, including unarmed or wounded soldiers, being shot on the spot, often in areas of active Russian military operations. The mission also noted public calls by Russian figures and military-linked social media accounts for such killings. Read also: Chaos to coordination: the evolution of POW swaps in the Russia-Ukraine war We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
