Ukrainian officials initiated an investigation on Sunday into allegations that Russian forces committed war crimes by killing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers. The probe was prompted by grainy footage circulating on social media, suggesting that two uniformed individuals were shot at close range after emerging from a dugout.
The video depicts the servicemen, one of them with hands raised in surrender, walking out under gunpoint and subsequently lying down on the ground. Subsequently, a group of Russian troops is seen appearing to open fire. The authenticity of the video and the context in which it was filmed are yet to be verified, and details regarding when the incident occurred remain unclear.
The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s office launched a criminal investigation on Sunday, following confirmation from the Ukrainian military’s press office that the footage depicting the killing of surrendering Ukrainian soldiers is genuine. Ukrainian officials initiated
In a Telegram update on Sunday, the prosecutor’s office stated, “The video shows a group in Russian uniforms shooting, at point-blank range, two unarmed servicemen in the uniform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were surrendering.”
As of Sunday evening, there was no immediate response from the Russian defense ministry to an emailed request for comment, and no public statements had been issued by the Russian government or military regarding the video.
Kyiv, along with its Western allies and international human rights organizations, has consistently accused Moscow of violating international humanitarian law since the onset of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently denied these allegations.
The video initially surfaced on DeepState, a popular Ukrainian Telegram channel covering the war. The post claimed that the footage was from the front lines near Avdiivka, a Ukrainian stronghold in the country’s partially occupied east, where intense fighting has been ongoing in recent weeks. The General Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the alleged killing occurred in the Pokrovsk district, encompassing Avdiivka and surrounding areas.