Russian troops executed a Ukrainian prisoner of war in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have launched a pre-trial investigation into this war crime. The incident constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the killing of persons in captivity.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office has initiated a pre-trial investigation into the commission of a war crime resulting in the death of a person (Part 2, Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
"On 13 July 2026, at 2:42 p.m., in the area of the village of Yalta, Komar rural community, representatives of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation captured a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After questioning him, one of the occupiers ordered the execution of the Ukrainian defender, and another shot him dead with a firearm," the statement reads.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, urgent investigative measures are underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime and identify members of the Russian Armed Forces who may be responsible.
"Urgent investigative (search) actions are currently being carried out to establish all the circumstances of the incident and identify members of the Russian Armed Forces involved in committing this crime," law enforcement authorities stated.
The Prosecutor's Office emphasized that the deliberate killing of a prisoner of war is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a serious international crime. Such acts may constitute a war crime for which individuals bear criminal responsibility.
According to official data from Ukrainian law enforcement authorities, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, at least 129 cases of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war and persons who had ceased to participate in hostilities have been documented. Human rights organizations have repeatedly stressed that every such incident requires an independent and effective investigation and that those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with international law.