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Russia defense ministry accuses Ukraine of executing POWs in unverified video – JURIST

Russia’s Ministry of Defense Friday accused Ukrainian armed forces of executing Russian POWs – a war crime under international law. However, news outlets like Reuters have been unable to verify the claims. Kyiv has not responded to requests for comment.The incident appears in a video circulating on social media that apparently shows Ukrainian servicemen executing more than 10 Russian prisoners lying facedown on the ground. The incident purportedly took place at Makiivka, a Ukrainian city in the Luhansk region of the Donetsk Oblast. “The brutal murder of Russian servicemen is neither the first, nor the single war crime,” claimed the Russian Ministry of Defense in a press statement. “This is a common practice in the Armed Forces of Ukraine supported by the Kiev regime and ignored by its western patrons.”Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed the incident demonstrates Ukraine “flagrantly violating international humanitarian law,” including the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. “We demand that international organizations condemn and thoroughly investigate this shocking crime,” Zakharova stated.On Saturday, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, requesting that the incident be brought before the UN Security Council and General Assembly.