Thursday, October 10, 2024

Putin troops line up and shoot 16 Ukraine POWs in ‘most massive’ execution

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Russian troops stand accused of shooting 16 Ukrainian soldiers after they surrendered.

The incident allegedly took place near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, where Vladimir Putin‘s army continues to make territorial gains.

The city is a key transport and logistics hub for Kyiv’s army and its fall would be a massive blow for the Ukrainian army.

The shocking images, captured by a drone, show the Ukrainians being forced to line up, after emerging from what looks like a forest.

Then around four Russian soldiers seemingly open fire, mowing the prisoners down in cold blood.

The video has been widely circulated on social media, first appearing on Tuesday.

Ukraine‘s Prosecutor General’s Office said it was verifying the material published online and investigating the circumstances around the case.

The execution of POWs is a “cynical and gross violation of the Geneva Conventions,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

“This is the most massive known case of execution of Ukrainian POWs on the front line,” Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said.

“The murders and torture of prisoners are not an accident, but a purposeful policy of the Russian military and political leadership,” he added.

Videos of Russian soldiers killing Ukrainian prisoners of war have been circulated regularly on social media following the unlawful invasion of Ukraine ordered by Putin in February 2022.

In July, two soldiers were allegedly brutally killed near the village of Rabotyne, in the Zaporozhzhia region.

The horrific execution was allegedly carried out by soldiers from the 70th Motorised Rifle Regiment.

Images showed two Ukrainians being made to get inside a trench and then kneel down, while two Russian soldiers appeared to load their weapons.

After a short pause, one of the Russians fired one round into the trench, before the second one approached and fired several shots.

Rabotnye was captured by Ukraine‘s army during its counteroffensive towards the end of August 2023.

However, Russia retook the village in May, as Ukraine struggled to hold on to its territorial gains due mostly to a lack of ammunition caused by delays to deliveries of Western military aid.

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