Putin on Ukrainian POWs in Kursk: ‘We Must Treat Them as Terrorists’

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that all Ukrainian soldiers captured in Kursk Oblast should be treated “as terrorists” during his first visit to the region since Ukrainian forces began operations there in August 2024.

Moments later, Putin added: “We treat all people and must treat them humanely in the future – all who have fallen into our hands.”

Then, however, Putin emphasized that foreign fighters would not be afforded protection under international law.

“I would also like to remind you that foreign mercenaries are not subject to the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War,” Putin said.

Putin’s statements come amid reports that Russian soldiers executed five captured Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) servicemen in Kursk.

The Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, and Ukrainian volunteer, Serhiy Sternenko, have both reported that a video is circulating on social media, allegedly showing the execution of unarmed Ukrainian servicemen captured by Russian forces.

“Once again, we see cynical disregard for international humanitarian law on the part of the Russian army,” Lubinets wrote.

According to Sternenko, the war crime took place in the village of Kazachya Loknya, Kursk Oblast. He disclosed that Ukrainian units in this settlement were blocked and cut off from the main forces for about a week.

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Putin’s statements came after Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russian Army Chief of the General Staff, briefed Putin on the progress of the Russian offensive in Kursk.

Gerasimov reported that Russian forces had reclaimed over 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Kursk Oblast in the past five days, including 24 settlements, with some units advancing into the Sumy region.

Gerasimov also claimed that Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast were “isolated,” and their “systematic destruction is underway.”

Putin responded by ordering Russian forces to “defeat the enemy in the shortest possible time” and take full control of Kursk Oblast. He also proposed the creation of a security zone along the state border.