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prisoner of war is being executed systematically by russian armyaccording to one of the UkraineThe soldier with the most medals.
Major Orech Shrylyayev was awarded the highest state order of the Hero of Ukraine for his leadership on the battlefield the times He regularly intercepted transmissions of orders from Russia’s military leaders to kill surrendering troops.
Combat observers say evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops has increased in recent months. Moscow Step up attacks on Ukraine even during peace negotiations Dialogue among U.S., European and Russian leaders continues.
Footage captured by Russian soldiers or Ukrainian reconnaissance drones appeared to show servicemen lining up and being shot dead after surrendering. Drone video taken on November 19 near Pokrovsk showed a soldier firing a machine gun at four unarmed men lying face down and then shooting another man as he tried to escape.
Ukrainian prosecutors are also investigating alleged beheadings and the alleged killing of a Ukrainian soldier with a sword, his hands tied behind his back.
Shryayev, commander of Ukraine’s 225th Independent Assault Battalion, said: “The number of executions is increasing, and it happens in all directions on the front line. For the Russians, there are no red lines… In the wiretaps and radio communications that we intercepted, we often heard that their military leadership ordered the execution of service members who tried to surrender. I would say that in the past year and a half, this practice has become a systematic practice.
“They showed the entire civilized world that they can do things with impunity. But at the same time, they also showed that they have no respect for the rules of war and any international conventions signed by countries.”
Russian troops have executed at least 147 Ukrainian prisoners of war since the war began in 2022, including 147 this year, according to Ukrainian prosecutors, reflecting commanders’ observations.
“The upward trend is very clear, very clear,” said Yuri Belousov, head of the war crimes unit of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine. “Sadly, the number of such cases has increased especially this summer and autumn. What this tells us is that these are not isolated cases. They occur over a wide area and there are clear signs that they are part of a policy.”
Danielle Bell, head of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said the U.N. has recorded an increase in Russian war crimes accusations since mid-November.
Prisoners of war are protected by international humanitarian law, particularly the Third Geneva Convention, and executions are classified as war crimes.
president of russia Vladimir Putin It has previously stated that the Russian military “has always” treated Ukrainian prisoners of war “in strict accordance with international legal documents and international conventions.”
The revelations came as US President Donald Trump hailed key peace talks between the US and Ukraine as “fantastic” but admitted there were still “thorny issues” before a deal could be reached over the war with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Sunday in hopes of making progress on a proposed 20-point peace plan, with a special focus on security and economic agreements.
The two leaders did not reveal much at a news conference after the discussion, but Trump said he believed “a lot of progress” had been made.