The UN human rights office says videos of dead Russian soldiers recently surfaced in Ukraine’s Makiivka are “most likely authentic”. This was the result of an analysis by the experts of the UN Human Rights Mission on the ground, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. What exactly happened must be investigated and those responsible held accountable, he demanded. The Ukrainian authorities have already launched a criminal investigation.
The videos had appeared on social networks over the past week. They show several Russian soldiers – guarded by Ukrainians – lying on the ground. Apparently, instead of surrendering like the others before him, one of the Russian soldiers opened fire. Some scenes in the edited video are missing. Another video – taken by a drone – eventually shows almost a dozen corpses.
Kiev: Was an act of self-defense
Russia accuses Ukrainian forces of firing from behind the surrendering soldiers. The Ukrainian army, on the other hand, speaks of self-defense. The incident reportedly took place in mid-November in the town of Makiivka, Luhansk region.
There had previously been numerous allegations from both sides about killing soldiers who were no longer involved in the fighting, Türk said in Geneva on Friday. It is critical that all allegations are “investigated in a manner that is and is perceived to be independent, impartial, thorough, transparent, prompt and effective,” said Austria’s human rights commissioner.
Clear rules for prisoners of war
The universal Geneva Conventions govern how prisoners of war are treated. They are designed to protect people who are not involved in combat in times of armed conflict. Therefore, prisoners must be protected against violence, but also against intimidation, insults and public curiosity. However, the rules also prohibit treason in warfare. This includes feigning the intention to surrender. If a Russian actually fired during the capture, the behavior of the Ukrainian soldiers could be covered up.
Source: Krone
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