Russian soldiers executed 3 unarmed Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast, prosecutors say

Russian troops shot three unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) on May 3 near the village of Novopil in Donetsk Oblast, the regional prosecutor's office reported on May 6.

The execution of prisoners of war is a breach of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as an international crime.

Russian soldiers captured three Ukrainian servicemen during the assaults near Novopil and forced them to lay down their arms. The Russian military then shot the Ukrainian soldiers, according to Ukrainian prosecutors.

The case is being investigated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the U.N. for a response.

"The international community should immediately respond to the following systemic gross violations by Russia," Lubinets wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine has previously documented widespread violations of the Geneva Conventions by Russian forces, including the execution of 177 captured Ukrainian soldiers as of mid-December 2024.

Visual evidence of such atrocities continues to emerge, reinforcing concerns over Moscow’s systematic violations of international law.