Intercepted radio and drone footage obtained by CNN show Russian soldiers receiving orders to execute Ukrainian POWs

Intercepted radio communications and drone footage appear to show Russian forces receiving direct orders to execute surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, according to Ukrainian intelligence shared with CNN.

In one exchange, a Russian commander instructs his troops to “take the commander captive and kill everyone else” during a November 2024 operation in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Region. Drone footage from the same encounter shows “six soldiers lying face down on the ground, with at least two being shot at point blank range and another being marched away.”

The intercepted audio is now part of an ongoing Ukrainian investigation into the alleged war crimes. Forensic experts and intelligence officials interviewed by the publication say the footage and transmissions, while not independently verified by CNN, appear to be authentic and are consistent with other documented cases.

Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN’s special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said these incidents constitute “grave breaches” of international law. He added that he believes this type of conduct could only be seen if it had been sanctioned by Russia’s top leadership.

Ukraine’s prosecutor general has opened 75 criminal investigations into the execution of 268 prisoners of war since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, indicating that the killings are part of a broader pattern. It said the number of alleged executions was steadily increasing, with eight cases involving 57 soldiers recorded in 2022, another eight cases involving 11 soldiers in 2023, 39 cases involving 149 soldiers in 2024, and 20 cases so far this year involving 51 soldiers.

Yuriy Bielousov, who leads the war crimes unit at the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office, said the rise appears to be driven by direct instructions from senior Russian officials. “We haven’t yet seen a written order, but we have documented several instances of oral orders,” Bielousov noted.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told CNN that Russian soldiers from the “Storm unit” of the 394th Motorized Rifle Regiment, part of the 127th Motorized Rifle Division under the 5th Combined Arms Army, were involved in the November attack. The SBU said it had also linked the same “Storm unit” to another suspected execution in the same area — the beheading of a captured Ukrainian soldier — and that it had charged Russian commanders from the unit in absentia, identifying them as responsible.

Ukrainian officials say Russia may be executing POWs in order to avoid the logistical burden of detaining them, or as a psychological warfare tactic.

In March this year, a detailed report by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine accused Russia of involvement in enforced disappearances, sexual assault against men and women, torture, and executing POWs.

Moscow has denied its forces commit war crimes.