Ukraine is investigating reports Russia executed prisoners of war after Avdiivka withdrawal

Video shows Russian soldier shooting two captured Ukrainian soldiers at close range in Vesele village. Warning: This article contains details which some readers may find distressing

Ukraine is investigating reports that Russian forces executed eight unarmed prisoners of war after capturing the key eastern town of Avdiivka, officials said.

Six unarmed Ukrainian soldiers awaiting evacuation were shot in Avdiivka, while two others were shot in the village of Vesele on the town’s outskirts, according to reports.

Ukrainian forces confirmed on Saturday they had pulled out of the battered city following a sustained Russian onslaught that began in October last year. Subsequently Moscow said its forces had taken full control of Avdiivka and the town’s heavily fortified coke plant.

The battle for Avdiivka was costly for Russia, which launched multiple waves of attack to break through Ukrainian defences in the region, but a chronic lack of ammunition ultimately hampered Ukraine’s defence of the strategically-located city.

The Security Service of Ukraine says it has now opened a pre-trial investigation into the alleged killing of unarmed prisoners of war during the fall of the city.

“The defenders were seriously injured and were waiting for evacuation [when they were killed],” the security agency said, citing messages on Telegram without naming the source.

“An investigation into the shootings of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war in Avdiivka and Vesele has been launched,” the prosecutor’s office in the Donetsk region said on Monday.

The prosecutor said it had received information on the “execution of six prisoners” at a location in Avdiivka.

It also shared two photos of the alleged killing of unarmed Ukrainian soldiers, with one photo showing the dead soldiers and another from an unspecified narrow trench showing a Russian soldier and Ukrainian soldiers coming face to face. Another unverified video on Telegram showed the men being shot at close range by the Russian forces.

According to the Donetsk prosecutor’s office, the video fragment was taken by a drone and showed a Russian soldier shooting two captured Ukrainian soldiers at close range in Vesele village.

"Not wanting to leave the prisoners alive, the occupier kills them with automatic weapons," the prosecutor’s office said. It did not specify when the incident took place but said the information surfaced on Telegram on Sunday.

Ukrainian military spokesperson Dmytro Lykhoviy said there is still no possibility to confirm or refute the killings at Avdiivka as an investigation was underway, reported Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne.

But this is not the first time Russia has been accused of committing war crimes, he added.

Ukrainian officials said in December that Russian forces were captured on video killing two unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war, who were clearly seen in the video to have surrendered.

The killing of prisoners of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and is classified as a serious international crime, Ukraine said at the time.

The Kremlin is yet to issue comments on the reports.

Relatives of six soldiers found dead after the capture of Avdiivka by Russian forces told the BBC that the troops were executed after they surrendered.

Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed he had ordered a retreat of his soldiers from the battered city on Saturday to prevent more loss of life.

But the Ukrainian military leadership is now facing criticism for allegedly giving orders to leave some wounded soldiers behind during the Avdiivka withdrawal, on the basis that they could be brought back to Ukraine later in prisoner exchanges.

A family member of one of the deceased snipers identified by the BBC said they heard Russian soldiers enter the building where the Ukrainian soldier Georgiy Pavlov was. The Russian soldier told Pavlov, who was on a video call with his brother-in-law, to switch off his phone, the report added.

Even though the Ukrainian commander-in-chief Syrskyi ordered the pull-out on Saturday, it was too late for soldiers like Pavlov to get out of the embattled city.

A day later, their photos were shared on Russian Telegram channels.

"They were killed by the Russians. But our military leadership allowed it to happen,” Pavlov’s mother told the BBC.

Ukraine elected to pull out of Avdiivka rather than risk having its last soldiers stationed there completely encircled by the Russian army. It will instead now have to reinforce multiple positions behind the Avdiivka line, given Russia is likely to keep pressing its advantage.

In the final days of the onslaught on Avdiivka, Russia used artillery shells and glide bombs relentlessly, leaving the defenders with no place to hide, according to a senior Ukrainian officer involved in the battle.