EU strongly condemns Russian killings of Ukrainian prisoners of war

The European Union strongly condemns the increasing executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russia, EU High Representative Josep Borrell said in a statement released yesterday.

He said that these killings are another “abhorrent example of Russia’s brutalisation of the Ukrainian people”.

Borrell quoted reliable sources as saying that at least 177 prisoners of war have died in Russian captivity since the start of Russia’s war of aggression. Nine Ukrainian prisoners of war were reportedly shot by Russian troops in the Kursk region on 10 October. On 1 October, 16 prisoners of war were reportedly executed by Russia in Donetsk oblast after their surrender.

According to Borrell, these cases are appalling and represent grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions: “They demonstrate Russia’s continued and systematic disregard for international law, and in particular, international humanitarian law. Russia has clear obligations under the United Nations Charter and international law it must fulfil,” Borrell said.

“That Russian public figures publicly call for the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and glorify these executions, calling for more, exposes yet again the real nature of the regime in the Kremlin,” added Borrell.

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has already confirmed the systematic use of a wide range of different methods of torture, including sexual violence, against Ukrainian prisoners of war by their Russian captors. The EU also condemned prisoners’ lack of access to the outside world and the denial of humanitarian access for independent monitors.

In his statement, Borrell also reiterated the EU’s firm commitment to holding to account all perpetrators and accomplices of Russian war crimes against Ukraine.

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