NYT confirmed the authenticity of videos showing the execution of Russian prisoners by Ukrainian soldiers

The New York Times analyzed videos that appeared on the network showing the execution of at least 11 Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian soldiers. The publication came to the conclusion that they are real and were filmed by Makiivka, which was occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Last week, two videos circulated online, the first showing the surrender of Russian servicemen. On the footage, ten Russian soldiers, at the command of the Ukrainian military, leave the building with their hands up and lie face down in a row. The 11th Russian soldier opens fire on the Ukrainians, after which the video is interrupted. In the second drone video, the bodies of 11 Russian soldiers are seen, still lying in a row, but already in pools of blood and probably dead.

After reviewing the video, Physicians for Human Rights medical adviser Dr. Rohini Haar concluded that the Russians were shot in the head and then left lying in the same place. At the same time, she stressed that Russian soldiers lying on the ground with their arms stretched over their heads could not be considered combatants and a legitimate target. "They are considered non-combatants, in fact prisoners of war," says Haar.

In turn, an expert in the investigation of war crimes at the University of Utrecht, Iva Vukusic, believes that the key factor in assessing what happened is at what point the Russians were killed - in several bursts immediately after the attack by a Russian soldier or later, when the AFU fighters had already managed to neutralize the threat. It can be considered a war crime only in the second case, the expert is convinced.

The Russian side has already called the incident a "methodical massacre" and an example of how Russian soldiers are treated in Ukrainian captivity.

At the same time, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets said that by attacking Ukrainian soldiers in the process of surrendering, the Russian military violated the ban on treachery prescribed in international conventions, so they could not be considered prisoners of war.

The UN also announced its intention to study the videos under discussion. “Allegations of killings of non-combatants must be promptly, comprehensively and effectively investigated, and any perpetrators held accountable,” said Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office.

Sources: New York Times , Reuters

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