MFA on execution of Ukrainian POWs by Russia: Atrocity requiring international reaction

This was stated at a briefing on Thursday, January 23, by the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Tykhyi informed that the foreign ministry had already forwarded information about the yet another atrocity by the Russians to partners and key international organizations.

He stated that the practice of shooting Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russian invaders, which, unfortunately, has become systematic, testifies to Russia’s barbaric nature.

“I think this is a reminder to the whole world about what kind of beasts we are dealing with in Ukraine. We insist that there must be an international response to every fact of such executions, a response from foreign leaders, foreign states, international, governmental and non-governmental organizations,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

He added that this is yet another reminder that Russia’s goal is unchanged, which is the destruction of Ukrainians, and once again called on the international community to offer a decisive response that would put an end to this practice.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, citing tentative reports, during a Russian assault on the positions of Ukrainian troops in Donetsk region, the invaders captured six Ukrainian servicemen before executing the unarmed soldiers.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has launched an inquiry into the shooting.

Investigative actions are underway to establish all the circumstances and the perpetrator involved.

The pre-trial investigation into the Russian war crime is being conducted by the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, sent a report on the war crime to the UN and the ICRC.