Ukrainian sniper Oleksandr Matsievsky was captured by Russians within the first yr of the full-scale invasion. Later, a video emerged displaying him smoking his final cigarette in a forest, apparently subsequent to a grave he had been compelled to dig.
“Glory to Ukraine!” he says to his captors. Moments later, photographs ring out and he falls lifeless.
His execution is one among many.
In October this yr, 9 captured Ukrainian troopers had been reportedly shot lifeless by Russian forces in Kursk area. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating the case together with a photograph displaying half-naked our bodies mendacity on the bottom. This photograph was sufficient for one of many victims, drone operator Ruslan Holubenko, to be recognized by his dad and mom.
“I recognised him by his underwear,” his distraught mom advised native broadcaster Suspilne Chernihiv. “I purchased it for him earlier than a visit to the ocean. I additionally knew that his shoulder had been shot by means of. You might see that within the image.”
The record of executions goes on. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating studies of beheadings and a sword getting used to kill a Ukrainian soldier together with his palms tied behind his again.
In one other occasion, a video confirmed 16 Ukrainian troopers apparently being lined up after which mowed down with automated gunfire after rising from a woods to give up.
Some of the executions had been filmed by Russian forces themselves, whereas others had been noticed by Ukrainian drones hovering above.
The killings captured on such movies normally happen in woods or fields missing distinctive options, which makes confirming their precise location tough. BBC Verify, nonetheless, has been capable of affirm in a number of instances – resembling one beheading – that the victims put on Ukrainian uniforms and that the movies are current.
Rising numbers
The Ukrainian prosecution service says that at the very least 147 Ukrainian prisoners of struggle have been executed by Russian forces for the reason that begin of the full-scale invasion, 127 of them this yr.
“The upward pattern may be very clear, very apparent,” says Yuri Belousov, the top of the War Department on the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office.
“Executions turned systemic from November final yr and have continued all through all of this yr. Sadly, their quantity has been significantly on the rise this summer season and autumn. This tells us that they don’t seem to be remoted instances. They are occurring throughout huge areas and so they have clear indicators of being a part of a coverage – there may be proof that directions to this impact are being issued.”
International humanitarian legislation – significantly the Third Geneva Convention – affords safety to prisoners of struggle, and executing them is a struggle crime.
Despite this, Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman chief of Russia’s Chechnya, briefly ordered his commanders concerned within the Ukraine struggle “to take no prisoners”.
Impunity
Rachel Denber, Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, says there isn’t a scarcity of proof supporting allegations of Ukrainian prisoners of struggle being executed by Russian troops. According to her, impunity performs a key half, and the Russian military has some severe inquiries to reply.
“What directions do these models have, both formally or informally from their commanders? Are their commanders being fairly clear about what the Geneva Conventions say in regards to the remedy of prisoners of struggle? What are Russian army commanders telling their models about their conduct? What steps is the chain of command taking to analyze these cases? And if larger ups should not investigating, or not taking steps to forestall that conduct, are they conscious that they too are criminally liable and could be held accountable?” she asks.
So far, there was nothing to counsel that Russia is formally investigating claims that its forces have been executing Ukrainian prisoners of struggle. Even mentioning comparable allegations is punishable by prolonged jail sentences in Russia.
According to Vladimir Putin, Russian forces have “all the time” handled Ukrainian prisoners of struggle “strictly in keeping with worldwide authorized paperwork and worldwide conventions”.
Ukrainian forces have additionally been accused of executing Russian prisoners of struggle, however the variety of such claims has been a lot smaller.
Yuri Belousov says that the Ukrainian prosecution service treats such accusations “very severely” and is investigating them – however to this point nobody has been charged.
According to Human Rights Watch, for the reason that full-scale invasion started in February 2022 the Russian forces have dedicated “a litany of violations, together with these which needs to be investigated as struggle crimes or crimes in opposition to humanity”.
The Russian military’s document of abuses is such that some Ukrainian troopers desire demise to seize.
“He advised me: Mum, I’ll by no means give up, by no means. Forgive me, I do know you may cry, however I do not need to be tortured,” Ruslan Holubenko’s mom says. Her son remains to be formally classed as lacking in motion, and he or she hopes in opposition to hope.
“I’ll do all the pieces that is doable and inconceivable to get my baby again. I hold taking a look at this photograph. Maybe he’s simply unconscious? I need to imagine, I do not need to assume that he is gone.”
