‘No Prisoners Taken’: Russians Ordered to Execute Ukrainian Prisoners of War

Since autumn 2023, there has been a marked increase in the executions of Ukrainian servicemen on the battlefield. This is evidenced by numerous drone videos captured by the Defence Forces and execution footage published by the Russians themselves. These and other data were analysed by Slidstvo.Info journalists and presented in the documentary ‘No Prisoners Taken‘. The journalists also noted that the executions occurred along the entire frontline and were not associated with specific units of the Russian army.

The video has English subtitles.

Execution is one of the most heinous war crimes and a grave violation of international law.

‘If someone has ceased participating in hostilities — laid down their arms, raised their hands, or is unable to resist due to their condition — these individuals receive additional protection. When they fall under enemy control, there is an obligation to treat them humanely. This includes a number of responsibilities: these people must receive proper medical care, there must be suitable conditions where they are held, it is forbidden to torture them and, of course, it is strictly prohibited to kill them,’ explains Yuriy Belousov, Head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict, Office of the Prosecutor General.

‘DECISIONS WERE MADE AT A HIGHER LEVEL’

Law enforcement officers began to record an increase in the number of executions of Ukrainian military personnel by the Russian army from November 2023. In the winter of 2024, this figure continued to rise. As of the end of September 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office was aware of 84 executions. More than half of all recorded cases of murder of unarmed Ukrainian servicemen occurred this year.

The Office of the Prosecutor General suggests that this trend may indicate a change in the policy regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.

‘When these were isolated cases, we could say that it was perhaps inadequate control by a particular officer of a specific unit. When we saw this happening in different units on the battlefield in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson and Luhansk oblasts, it already indicates that the decision was made at a higher level than the head of a particular unit,’ says Yuriy Belousov.

‘PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATION BY THE RUSSIANS’

Among the videos received and analysed by Slidstvo.Info journalists are both individual and group executions of Ukrainian soldiers. In some cases, the Defence Forces managed to record the execution from a drone at the moment it occurred.

For example, a video filmed in February 2024 near the village of Robotyno in Zaporizhzhia oblast clearly shows two unarmed Ukrainian soldiers slowly emerging from a trench. One of the soldiers appears to be wounded. He is limping and holding on to his comrade-in-arms to avoid falling. As soon as the Ukrainian soldiers stop, a Russian soldier fires several shots and the Ukrainian Defence Forces soldiers fall.

The journalists also have drone footage showing the execution of seven Ukrainian soldiers at once. This occurred near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region.

Additionally, on 1 October, news emerged of the largest execution to date. In the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk oblast, representatives of the Russian army shot 16 unarmed Ukrainian soldiers.

‘Perhaps this is due to the fact that they (Russians — ed.) did not have much success on the battlefield at that time, and therefore resorted to the most brutal methods. Moreover, they filmed and distributed this to demoralise our military and their families in a certain way. That is, it is a psychological operation on the part of the enemy,’ Belousov believes.

‘POSITION THEM TO SERVE AS HUMAN SHIELDS’

The killing of unarmed Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered is not the only war crime discovered by Slidstvo.Info during its work with the videos.

At least one video, filmed by the Defence Forces in Donetsk region in December 2023, near Chasiv Yar, shows a fighter with red tape on his arm, worn by representatives of the Russian army, advancing whilst shielding himself with unarmed Ukrainian soldiers.

The systematic nature of this crime is also confirmed by the testimony of a Russian prisoner of war, whom Slidstvo.Info journalists managed to interview during the preparation of the film.

Dmitriy Kurashov, a soldier of the Storm V unit staffed by former prisoners, said that the commander of their assault group advised them to use Ukrainian soldiers as human shields before their first combat mission.

‘Take the prisoners, tie them up and position them so that they serve as human shields, so that you are not attacked by drones,’ said Kurashov.

Furthermore, the Russian states that during the training before they went to the front in Ukraine, the military personnel who taught the recruits advised them not to take Ukrainian soldiers prisoner.

FROM PRISONERS TO AIR ASSAULT UNITS

However, it appears that it is not only units comprised of former Russian prisoners who are being instructed to execute Ukrainian soldiers. Slidstvo.Info has documents indicating that soldiers from various units of the Russian army — from Storm and private military companies to elite air assault units — are involved in this war crime.

A video, filmed in Zaporizhzhia oblast in December 2023 near the village of Verbove, shows soldiers of the reconnaissance company of the 274th Air Assault Regiment of the Russian Army advancing towards a platoon stronghold of the Defence Forces. The drone captures three Ukrainian soldiers with their arms raised, without body armour or helmets, emerging from the dugout one by one. The Russians lead the unarmed Ukrainian soldiers to the side of a dirt road and force them to kneel. A few minutes later, there are flashes and greyish smoke, typical of gunfire. Then one of the prisoners falls face first. A Russian with an assault rifle approaches the fallen, examines the bodies and fires control shots at the prone Ukrainians.

‘Initially, we generally thought that units such as PMCs or those staffed by prisoners would commit more violations of International Humanitarian Law simply because they hadn’t been taught what it is. But Bucha showed the opposite — there were regular units, the ‘elite’ as they used to say in Russia. Then there was Izium, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblast… and we saw that it was not about any particular unit,’ says Yuriy Belousov.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russians have executed 84 unarmed Ukrainian soldiers. However, taking into account the most mass execution of Ukrainian soldiers, which came to light on 1 October, this figure has now reached 100 killed Ukrainians. More than half of them were killed by Russians in 2024.

READ ALSO: ‘We Simply Had Ho One and Nothing Left to Fight With’ — a Representative of the 72nd Brigade Battalion Headquarters on Leaving Vuhledar

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