Law enforcement authorities are investigating 45 cases of Ukrainian prisoners of war being killed by Russians

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have documented and are investigating 45 cases of killings of prisoners of war.

According to Nadia Maksymets, the spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General’s Office, the number of such cases has increased significantly since November of last year.

“As of March 2024, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have documented 45 cases of killings of prisoners of war, which are being investigated as part of 19 criminal proceedings. However, this figure is not final”, Maksymets said in an interview for “Ukrainska Pravda”.

These investigations aim not only to identify the direct perpetrators of these crimes but also those who may have ordered the execution of prisoners of war or failed to react to such actions by their subordinates. The killing of prisoners of war constitutes a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war and a grave international crime.

According to the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor’s Office has reported suspicions of violations of laws and customs of war combined with intentional murder of a Russian army serviceman who shot a Ukrainian prisoner of war.

According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the perpetrator is Dmitry Kurashov, a shooter of the Storm-V assault unit of the 127th motorized rifle division of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation.

According to the investigation and the military counterintelligence of the SSU, on January 6, 2024, Kurashov shot a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who was taken prisoner by the Russians during the “meat grinder” assault. He made at least 3 aimed shots at the captured Ukrainian.

Shortly thereafter, Ukrainian soldiers counterattacked the invaders and captured Kurashov and his fellow servicemen.

During interrogation by the SSU, another captured occupier “gave away” Kurashov, and later the Security Service collected other undeniable evidence of the Russian’s guilt in the killing of the Ukrainian prisoner of war, as stated in the special service’s announcement.

Photo: SSU