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According to a recent report from Human Rights Watch (HRW), it is alleged that Russian forces have carried out the execution of at least 15 Ukrainian soldiers who were trying to surrender since the start of December 2023.
The US-based organization has called for an investigation into these alleged executions as potential war crimes.
Belkis Wille, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW, stated, "Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its forces have been accused of committing numerous atrocious war crimes."
“The summary execution - or murder- of surrendering and injured Ukrainian soldiers, gunned down in cold blood, expressly forbidden under international humanitarian law, is also included in that shameful legacy.”
On 2 December, 27 December, and 25 February, HRW analyzed drone footage that was posted on social media. The videos showed Ukrainian soldiers who appeared to have surrendered being shot by Russian troops.
HRW noted that they were unable to confirm the locations of some of the incidents. According to international humanitarian law, once individuals are no longer engaged in combat, they are not considered targets and should not be fired upon.
The Geneva Conventions specifically state that individuals who are no longer actively participating in combat due to surrender, injury, or capture must be treated humanely and are not legitimate targets for attack.
On 25 February, the footage depicted at least seven Ukrainian soldiers removing their body armor and one of them removing his helmet.
They were then confronted by five Russian soldiers pointing their guns at them. After being shot, six of the Ukrainian soldiers did not move, while one attempted to flee before being killed.
This incident occurred in the village of Ivanivske near the Donetsk region. HRW could distinguish between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers by identifying the color of the tape on their arms: Ukrainian troops wear blue tape, while Russian soldiers wear white or red tape.
In March, the United Nations released a report detailing instances of torture experienced by Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russian captivity, including beatings, electric shocks, and simulated executions.
The report also mentioned cases of sexual violence. Additionally, the UN documented "credible allegations" of Russian troops carrying out executions of at least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
A previous UN report from a year earlier described how Russian troops and the Wagner Group had executed 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the first year of the full-scale invasion.
On April 9th, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office revealed that they were conducting 27 criminal investigations into the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected accusations of his government's involvement in war crimes against Ukrainians.
The evidence suggests that in at least one instance, Russian forces gave direct orders to kill soldiers instead of allowing them to surrender, which implies their endorsement of war crimes, Wille pointed out.
