Russians murder Ukrainian prisoner of war in Donetsk region with sword bearing the inscription “For Kursk”

The Russian military brutally executed a Ukrainian prisoner of war with a sword. This incident became known through social media, where a photo of the executed prisoner of war was shared on Telegram.

The image shows the prisoner lying on his back, his hands tied and a sword with the inscription “For Kursk” stuck in his chest. Preliminary analysis suggests that the execution took place in Novohradivka, near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine announced on Tuesday, September 17, the launch of an investigation into the execution.

Investigators are working to uncover the details and identify those responsible. As part of the investigation, requests have been made to the relevant services and institutions.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets described this as another gross violation of the Geneva Convention.

“The level of barbarism and bloodthirst is incomprehensible. Such actions are a blatant violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war! How long will the world watch Russia openly demonstrate its disregard for all norms and laws?” he wrote.

Lubinets has also contacted international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN, urging them to document yet another human rights violation by Russia. He believes that these executions are aimed at demoralizing Ukrainian society.

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Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin told CNN on September 6 that his office is investigating 28 cases in which Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed by Russian troops after they surrendered since the war began, leaving 62 dead.

Kostin later stated that the number of prisoners executed could even be as high as 73.

In early September, another incident occurred in the Pokrovsky district of Donetsk, where Russian forces executed Ukrainian prisoners after attacking their positions with drones.

Another video circulated on social media in June, purporting to show Russian soldiers documenting their mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war in violation of international law in the third year of the Kremlin's all-out invasion of Ukraine.

In the footage, Russian soldiers lead four blindfolded prisoners of war dressed in clothing that matches the Ukrainian military uniform.

The Russians ordered the prisoners to sing the Soviet Union anthem and “The Holy War.” When the prisoners complied, a Russian soldier insulted a prisoner for not singing.

After one verse, Russian soldiers beat two Ukrainian prisoners of war, threw them to the ground and threatened to kill one of them.