Russia Accuses Ukraine of Execution of More Than 10 Prisoners of War Soldiers

Russia on Friday (18/11) charged Kiev with resolving several surrendered soldiers in what they called a "war crime". Taken from AFP, this is a new indictment Russia has already made in a decades-long fight in Ukraine.

Moscow's claim comes after the UN this week issued a report explaining that prisoners of war on both sides have been targets of persecution and ugly acts.

"No one can describe the deliberate and methodical killing of more than 10 detained Russian soldiers... which was shot in the head as a 'tragic exception'," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The confession referred to a video trending on Russian-language social media showing the bodies of several Russian troops who had surrendered to Ukrainian troops and were killed.

In one of the videos, it can be seen that the troops surrendered to several military personnel in disguise and used yellow armbands. The surrendered troops lay on the ground, in the backyard of a house covered in some rubble. The video is suddenly interrupted when the shooting sound is heard.

Another video taken above shows the bodies of about a dozen people surrounded by blood spots. AFP could not confirm the video and the Russian Defense Ministry did not specify when the footage was taken.

Russia's Human Rights Council said the executions were carried out in Makiivka, a hamlet east of Lugansk, Ukraine, which had been moved by the Ukrainian military this week.

"We demand reaction and interrogation from the international commune," Human Rights Council Chairman Valeriy Fadeyev said via social media.

The Defence Ministry claimed the video presented "new evidence of the massacre of Russian prisoners of war who did not carry weapons by Ukrainian military personnel".

The Defense Ministry said this "violent killing" was not "the first and not one of the war crimes" that Ukrainian forces had committed.

Moscow has accused several western countries that provide Ukrainian military support turning a blind eye to allegations of violence already perpetrated by the Ukrainian military. In the confession, Russia explained Kiev must be held accountable for "every tortured and murdered prisoner".

Until now, there has been no response to this from Ukrainian bigwigs.

Russia and Ukraine have both charged them with repression of prisoners of war, which has been called a war crime since the Ukrainian invasion in late February 2022.