Russian forces executed two captured Ukrainian soldiers near Dobropillia, prosecutors say
Two Ukrainian National Guard servicemen were captured by Russian forces near Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast on 2 September and then executed by shooting, according to the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office. Ukrainian authorities have opened a war-crimes investigation and are searching for the Russian servicemembers responsible. The Ombudsman's office says at least 345 cases of executions of surrendering Ukrainian servicemembers have been recorded since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Key points
- Two National Guard soldiers were captured near Dobropillia, Donetsk Oblast, on 2 September while on a firing position in a forest strip
- After capture they were executed by being shot with automatic weapons by Russian servicemembers
- The Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (war crime resulting in death)
- Ukrainian law enforcement is conducting urgent investigative actions to identify the Russian military personnel involved
- The Ukrainian Ombudsman's office has sent official letters to the ICRC and the UN documenting the case
- Since the start of the full-scale invasion, at least 345 executions of surrendering Ukrainian servicemembers have been recorded, according to the Ombudsman's office
- The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission and the Institute for the Study of War have previously reported on the systematic character of such executions by Russian forces
Why it matters
The reported execution of captured Ukrainian servicemembers constitutes a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and is being treated by Ukrainian authorities as a war crime. The case is being used by Ukrainian officials to illustrate what they describe as a systematic pattern: the Ombudsman's office cites at least 345 recorded executions of surrendering Ukrainian servicemembers since the start of the full-scale invasion, and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission and the Institute for the Study of War have previously documented and assessed the phenomenon. The investigation therefore has both a specific criminal dimension (identifying the perpetrators) and a broader evidentiary role in documenting alleged Russian war crimes.
What happened
On 2 September, two servicemen of the Ukrainian National Guard were on a firing position in a forest strip near Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast when they were captured by Russian forces. After being taken prisoner, both were executed by being shot with automatic weapons by representatives of the Russian Armed Forces, according to the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office. The office has opened a pre-trial investigation under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which covers war crimes resulting in the death of people. Ukrainian law enforcement is conducting urgent investigative and search actions to identify the Russian military personnel involved and to establish all the circumstances of the event. The prosecutor's office described the killing of prisoners of war as a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and a serious international crime.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All four sources reporting the incident are Ukrainian outlets (two media outlets, one agency, one media outlet), writing in Ukrainian. Their coverage centres on the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office investigation and uses the language of a Russian war crime against Ukraine. They prominently feature Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, who has referred the case to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN. Ukrainian coverage frames the incident not as an isolated event but as part of a wider pattern, citing the Ombudsman's figure of at least 345 recorded executions of surrendering Ukrainian servicemembers since the start of the full-scale invasion and invoking UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission and ISW assessments as external corroboration of a systematic practice by Russian forces.
Background
The two National Guard soldiers were on a firing position in a forest strip near Dobropillia when they were captured, according to Ukrainian investigators. Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has stated that at least 345 cases of executions of Ukrainian servicemembers who had surrendered have been recorded since the start of the full-scale invasion. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has reported torture and executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces in earlier reports, and in October 2024 the Institute for the Study of War said it was observing an increase in such executions and assessed that Russian commanders likely tolerate, encourage, or directly order them.