Russians executed five Ukrainian prisoners of war in Zaporizhzhia.

Russian occupiers have committed yet another war crime on Ukrainian territory. They executed five Ukrainian prisoners of war near the village of Novodaryivka in the Zaporizhzhia region. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

“According to preliminary information, on November 24, 2024, near the settlement of Novodaryivka in the Polohy district of the Zaporizhzhia region, where active hostilities are ongoing, servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces executed five of the six Ukrainian defenders who had been captured,” the statement reads.

Law enforcement officials have already identified the unit of the Russian army involved, and the servicemen are currently being investigated for their connection to this crime. Investigators have also obtained video footage documenting the moment of the execution.

The prosecutor's office has initiated a criminal proceeding regarding the violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Law enforcement emphasized that the murder of prisoners of war is a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a grave international crime.

It should be noted that Russian military forces systematically commit such war crimes. On November 6, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported that it is investigating 49 criminal cases concerning the murder of 124 Ukrainian servicemen by Russians during their surrender or while in captivity.

However, on November 22, it became known that the occupiers had executed another five captured servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Vuhledar, and on November 26, the prosecutor's office launched an investigation into the execution of five captured Ukrainian fighters in the Pokrovsk direction.