Brutal Orders Documented: Ukrainian Prisoners of War Executed

New recordings reveal that Russian forces are allegedly receiving direct orders to execute Ukrainian soldiers, even when they have surrendered. CNN has obtained an audio recording from Ukrainian intelligence services from Russian military radios, which is connected with drone video of a suspected execution in the village of Novodarivka in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The video shows six Ukrainian soldiers lying face down. Two are shot at close range, while a third is taken away. A voice on the radio commands: “Capture the commander and kill the others.” The order is repeated several times over a ten-minute period. Experts assess that the recordings are genuine and not manipulated.

UN: Serious violation of international law

According to the UN’s Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, this represents “serious violations of international law”, and he points out that such systematic actions are unlikely to occur without acceptance from the Russian leadership.

The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office is currently investigating 75 cases of suspected executions of prisoners of war, identifying the Russian Storm Unit from the 394th Motorized Infantry Regiment as responsible in several instances. According to Ukrainian officials, the practice has both psychological and practical motives — including spreading fear and avoiding the hassle of taking prisoners.

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