AVDIIVKA, UKRAINE - OCTOBER 30: Police officer Gennady convinces a local resident who lives in a dilapidated house to evacuate on October 30, 2023 in Avdiivka, Ukraine. The National Police of Ukraine, along with the "White Angel" special unit, is conducting an operation to evacuate the remaining local residents from the city, which faces daily destruction from artillery fire. According to the national police, approximately 1,400 people are still in the city. The fighting has escalated in recent days following Russia's major offensive earlier this month. (Vlada Liberova / Libkos via Getty Images)
This was reported by the Human Rights Commissioner of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets.
He revealed that Ukrainian defenders were leaving Avdiivka amidst continuous bombardments, shelling of evacuation routes, and vehicles. Some critically wounded and deceased servicemen were successfully evacuated. However, there were no chances for further evacuation attempts due to the massive enemy offensive.
The Ombudsman noted that due to the complete encirclement of the stronghold “Zenit”, the command decided to contact the coordination center and organizations negotiating with Russia. The parties discussed the possibilities of providing assistance to Ukrainian critically wounded unarmed military personnel in accordance with international laws.
According to Lubinets, the Russians informed the coordinators of this process that they agreed to evacuate the wounded Ukrainian defenders and provide them with assistance, and later exchange them. Ukrainian servicemen received orders to preserve their lives.
What happened after these agreements was seen in the video released by the enemy from the captured “Zenit” position. Families of the Defenders recognized Georgiy Pavlov, Andriy Dubnytskyi, and Ivan Zhytnyk as deceased. Also among them were Oleksandr Zinchiuk and Mykola Savosik, who were shot by Russian soldiers. Information regarding the sixth fighter is yet to be confirmed.
The Ombudsman urgently sent letters to the ICRC and the UN to document this war crime and clarify all the circumstances. He emphasized that this is not the first time Russia grossly violates the norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions by executing prisoners of war.
Recall that on February 18, Russian occupiers shot two more Ukrainian soldiers who fell into captivity.
Photo: Getty Images
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