Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) has documented over 150 cases of execution of Ukrainian defenders who were captured by Russian forces. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
According to HUR, the number of such battlefield executions is growing. In many instances, direct orders to kill prisoners of war have been confirmed. These crimes are not isolated incidents, intelligence officials say — they are part of a systematic policy orchestrated by the leadership of the aggressor state.
This disturbing trend is also confirmed by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. In its report dated March 19, 2025, the commission documented a rising number of cases in which Russian soldiers deliberately killed or maimed Ukrainian troops who had surrendered or were attempting to surrender.
“Several Russian deserters confirmed they had received orders not to take prisoners, but to kill them instead. One cited a deputy brigade commander saying: ‘We don’t need prisoners — shoot them on the spot’,” the report stated.
UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Dr. Morris Tidball-Binz, told CNN that these crimes would not be happening at such scale and frequency without orders — or at least consent — from the highest levels of military command, which in Russia, he said, means the president.
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence emphasised that every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people will be met with just retribution.