Investigation Launched into Russian Execution of Three Ukrainian POWs Near Robotyne

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that it has begun an investigation into the shooting of three Ukrainian Prisoners of War (POW) near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region by the Russian military.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated under the charge of violating the laws and customs of war, coupled with intentional murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The prosecutor's office disclosed that the shooting occurred on Feb 18 in near the Robotyne settlement.

“The killing of POWs constitutes a severe breach of the Geneva Conventions and amounts to a serious international crime,” the statement read.

Video footage of the incident was released by DeepState analysts on Telegram on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Graphic Warning - Explicit Content:

DeepState initially suggested that the murdered Ukrainians belonged to the 3rd Spartan operational brigade, although this was later retracted until the unit identity could be verified.

According to DeepState, on Feb. 18, Russian troops advanced from the south and seized a portion of a significant stronghold, trapping the three soldiers.

The released video showed the Ukrainian soldiers emerging from a trench and surrendering. After a brief pause, the Russians opened fire, cutting them down.

DeepState analysts confirmed on Wednesday, that the victims were not directly affiliated with the 3rd operational brigade.

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“But the events took place on their right flank, where several units are located. We cannot list them all for security reasons,” the report said.

The operational and strategic group of troops “Tavria” has not yet commented on the situation.

Russian authorities have also remained silent about the execution of prisoners in Robotyne.

Previously, Ukraine opened an investigation into the shooting of six captured and severely wounded defenders from the 110th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) at the Zenit position in Avdiivka.

The Prosecutor General's Office stressed that these Ukrainian servicemen “were severely wounded and incapacitated, awaiting evacuation.”

Subsequently, the 110th separate mechanized brigade, actively engaged in combat in Avdiivka in recent months, officially confirmed the deaths of at least five of its soldiers, named as Georgy Pavlov, Andriy Dubnytsky, Ivan Zhytnyk, Oleksandr Zinchuk, and Mykola Savosik.

According to the brigade, following the complete encirclement of the Zenit stronghold, Ukraine sought assistance from organizations facilitating prisoner exchanges to aid their fighters.

The Russian side agreed to evacuate wounded Ukrainians and later exchange them. This assurance was conveyed to the soldiers at Zenit hours before the arrival of Russian forces. Ukrainian military personnel were instructed to refrain from resisting and prioritize self-preservation.

One serviceman, Ivan Zhytnyk, expressed skepticism over the phone to his son-in-law, questioning the Russians' commitment to “saving the lives of the wounded.”

The brigade asserted that the Russian side breached the agreements by executing the prisoners.

At the end of last year, reports surfaced of the shooting of Ukrainian POWs near the village of Robotyne. On Dec. 27, a video emerged on social media that seemed to depict Russian military personnel firing upon captured Ukrainian soldiers.

The Office of the Prosecutor General’s press service announced the initiation of criminal proceedings based on the alleged violation of laws and customs of war.

Yury Belousov, the Prosecutor General's Office representative, stated that soldiers from the 76th Guards Airborne Assault Division of the Russian forces, also known as the “Pskov Airborne Division,” are suspected to be involved in the executions of Ukrainian POWs.

Belousov highlighted that this division has a known history of committing war crimes in Ukraine, particularly in the Kyiv region. He also revealed that the deceased Ukrainian soldiers had been identified but Kyiv was awaiting for verification before releasing the names.

He pointed out that such conduct by the Russian military in the Zaporizhzhia region appears to be part of a systematic pattern, citing previous instances where Ukrainians were utilized as human shields.

On Dec. 13, Radio Svoboda released a video captured by a Ukrainian drone, that showed Russian infantry forcing at least three unarmed Ukrainian POWs to advance in front of them during a recent ground battle near the village of Robotyne. One of the prisoners was shot dead during the attack.