UN records execution of 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian military

The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission recorded 12 cases of executions of at least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The 38th UN report on the human rights situation in Ukraine covers the period between December 1, 2023, and to February 29, 2024.

Among other things, the experts interviewed 60 recently released Ukrainian POWs.

According to Danielle Bell, who heads HRMMU, almost every single one of the Ukrainian POWs they interviewed described how Russian service persons or officials tortured prisoners of war during their captivity.

In particular, the Russians use beatings, electric shocks, prolonged stress positions, threats of execution, or mock execution. More than half of the prisoners of war were subjected to sexual violence.

“Most POWs also recounted the anguish of not being allowed to communicate with their families, and being deprived of adequate food and medical attention,” she adds.

The findings about the treatment and conditions in Russian captivity confirm that the Russian army continues to use previously established patterns of torture and ill-treatment, deaths in custody, incommunicado detention, enforced disappearances, and dire conditions of detention.

Executions

“Furthermore, the HRMMU also recorded credible allegations of the execution of at least 32 Ukrainian POWs in 12 separate incidents between December 2023 to February 2024, significantly more than in any previous period. HRMMU has independently verified three of the incidents,” the text reads.

The HRMMU also cites interviews with 44 Russian prisoners of war who, while not alleging torture at established internment facilities, gave “testimony of torture and ill-treatment in transit places after their evacuation from the battlefield.”

The mission’s report also contains information about the Russian administration’s violence against civilians in Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russian Federation, citing, among other violations, killings of civilians, arbitrary detention, and restrictions on freedom of expression.

“Civilian casualties remained high during the three-month period, with conflict-related violence killing 429 civilians and injuring 1,374. A significant intensification of missile and loitering munitions attacks by the Russian Federation in late December and January caused a spike in civilian casualties in areas far from the frontline,” the HRMMU concluded.

According to the UN, the total number of confirmed civilian casualties in Ukraine “remains comparable to the number of casualties in the previous period.”