The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported the suspicion to the Russian occupiers in absentia — investigators found out that they had given the order to behead a captured Ukrainian soldier and were involved in the mass murders of prisoners of war.
This was reported by the press service.
Hereʼs who is it about:
- The deputy commander of the 1st Motorized Rifle Battalion of the 394th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 127th Motorized Rifle Division of the 5th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation Shota Karapetyan (call sign "Yustas");
- the commander of the assault company of the “Storm” detachment of the 394th motorized rifle regiment of the same military unit of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Chikhabakh (call sign “Sber”).
The investigation established that on June 17, 2024, the suspects ordered their subordinates to shoot a Ukrainian prisoner of war, then cut off his head and place it on the hood of a damaged armoured vehicle. This happened during the fighting near the village of Staromayorsk in the Donetsk region. Both suspects ordered their subordinates not to leave the captured Ukrainian soldiers alive.
Chikhabakh and Karapetyan were charged with violating the laws and customs of war.
Executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war
As of December 2024, the Russians had executed at least 177 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Of the 177 confirmed cases, 109 occurred in 2024.
According to Dmytro Lubinets, his office learns about most cases from videos from Ukrainian special services. At the same time, there are cases when information comes directly from Ukrainian military units. The Russians also publish relevant videos on social networks.
The Ukrainian side informs the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN about cases of execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Lubinets notes that the ICRC has never publicly or privately accused the Russians of murdering or torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war. But official UN reports for 2024 first revealed data that the Russians were executing Ukrainian defenders.
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