GUR records more than 150 cases of POW executions by invaders

Special units of the Main Intelligence Agency (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine have recorded more than 150 cases of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) by Russian occupiers, the department's Telegram channel reported on Saturday.

"All data on war crimes collected by special units of the Main Intelligence Agency (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine are transferred to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies for further investigation. In many cases, direct orders to kill prisoners have been recorded. These crimes are part of a targeted policy on the part of the leadership of the aggressor state - Russia," the report notes.

This trend is confirmed by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. In its report of March 19, 2025, it noted an increase in the number of cases in which Russian troops deliberately killed or maimed Ukrainian fighters who surrendered or attempted to surrender. "Several Russian deserters confirmed that they had received orders not to take prisoners, but to kill them. One of them quoted the deputy brigade commander as saying: prisoners are not needed - shoot them on the spot," the document says.

The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Dr Morris Tidball-Binz, spoke to CNN and clearly identified those responsible for these acts, saying they would not have happened in such numbers and frequency without an order - or at least approval - from the highest military command, which in Russia means the office of the president.

On May 21, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi stated that Russian executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war had become systemic, indicating a policy approved by the Russian Federation's top leadership, and called for all those guilty of these crimes to be held fully accountable internationally.

CNN earlier reported that it had obtained intercepted radio communications and drone recordings that likely recorded Russian orders to execute Ukrainian soldiers who surrender. In particular, this refers to the execution of six Ukrainian fighters in the eastern Zaporizhia region in November last year.

A leading UN investigator and a Western intelligence official told CNN that the radio transmissions and drone footage were consistent with other cases in which Russian forces allegedly executed Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered.

Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, called such incidents "serious violations" of international law, adding that he believed such behaviour could only be sanctioned by Russia's highest authorities.

A Western intelligence official, who reviewed the audio intercepts, found them to be authentic, credible and consistent with previously documented brutal executions. He said he was reviewing similar materials from other cases that showed Russian commanders had authorization to kill Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered or were in the process of surrendering.