On October 10, Russian forces executed nine Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered in the Kursk region, according to the Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState.
The incident reportedly took place near the settlement of Zelenyi Shlyakh, with the group describing it as a gross violation of international law.
According to analysts, the Ukrainian soldiers believed they were advancing into a relatively secure area but unexpectedly encountered Russian forces. After engaging in a firefight, the Ukrainians, with limited ammunition, surrendered to the Russian troops.
In response, Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, condemned the incident as a severe breach of the Geneva Conventions, which govern the treatment of prisoners of war. “These actions are a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war,” Lubinets stated on his Telegram channel.
Lubinets further confirmed that official letters regarding the incident have been sent to both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), calling for accountability for what he described as another war crime committed by Russian forces. “Russia is a terrorist state that disregards all rules and customs of war. The international community must not turn a blind eye to these crimes,” he added.
The execution of prisoners of war is explicitly prohibited under the Geneva Conventions, and this latest event adds to a growing list of reported violations by Russian forces since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Despite calls from Ukrainian officials and human rights advocates, there has been no public acknowledgment of the incident by the Russian government.
The incident reflects the harsh realities faced by Ukrainian forces and underscores the need for continued international monitoring and intervention. Ukrainian officials, including Ombudsman Lubinets, stress that these crimes must not go unpunished, calling on global institutions to hold Russia accountable for its actions on the battlefield.