Ukrainian authorities claimed they obtained radio communications indicating that Russian troops ordered the execution of Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered.
On the 21st (local time), CNN reported, citing Ukrainian intelligence authorities, that Russian troops issued radio communications directing that only commanders among the surrendering Ukrainian soldiers should be captured while the others should be executed. This act directly violates international law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, which protect prisoners of war.
According to CNN, the radio communication involved a Russian commander, whose name and rank were not verified, communicating with front-line troops, with the directive to "capture the commander and kill the rest" repeated six times. When a frontline soldier reported, "I only found the senior soldier," the commander reportedly ordered, "Take him and eliminate the rest."
This communication is believed to have been recorded during an incident in November 2023, when Ukrainian soldiers were executed in eastern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia. This case is under investigation by the Ukrainian prosecution, and there are also drone videos of the incident, according to CNN.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reports that a raid unit from the Russian 127th Automated Rifle Division is involved in the incident. Morris Tidball-Binz, a special rapporteur with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that the radio communications and drone footage "suggest circumstances of executions of surrendered soldiers." He noted that "such actions cannot occur without orders from the highest military command," raising the possibility of involvement from senior Russian officials.
CNN reported that Ukrainian authorities and international experts believe this incident, among several factors, suggests that the execution of surrendering soldiers might be an organized policy of the Russian military.
The Ukrainian prosecution stated that as of May this year, it is investigating a total of 75 cases involving the execution of 268 prisoners of war. By year, there were 57 in 2022, 11 in 2023, 149 in 2024, and 51 confirmed to date in 2025.
Yuri Belyausov, head of the Ukrainian prosecution's war crimes department, noted, "This is due to the orders from the Russian political and military leadership," adding that "some have been confirmed in the form of verbal commands." CNN requested comments from the Ministry of National Defense but did not receive a substantial response.