UN accuses Ukraine and Russia of summary executions

More than a year after the start of the war in Ukraine, the UN on Friday, March 24, 2023 accused Ukrainian and Russian forces of carrying out dozens of summary executions of prisoners of war

UN accuses Ukraine and Russia of summary executions

More than a year after the start of the war in Ukraine, the UN on Friday, March 24, 2023 accused Ukrainian and Russian forces of carrying out dozens of summary executions of prisoners of war. "We are deeply concerned about the summary execution of 25 Russian prisoners of war and persons hors de combat," as well as that of "15 Ukrainian prisoners of war," said Matilda Bogner, head of the Human Rights Monitoring Mission. United Nations man in Ukraine.

According to her, the UN has documented these executions of Russians by the Ukrainian armed forces, "often" carried out "immediately after capture on the battlefield". Matilda Bogner added that she was aware of five investigations carried out by Kyiv involving 22 victims without being aware of "any prosecution against the perpetrators".

Regarding the executions of the 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war "shortly after their capture by the Russian armed forces", the UN announces that 11 of them were carried out by the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.

The two belligerents have accused each other of mistreatment of prisoners constituting war crimes since the start of the conflict in February 2022.