Execution of five captured Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk region: Ukraine opens case for war crime

Russian occupying forces committed a new war crime in Donetsk region — during fighting near the village of Kotline in Pokrovsk district, they shot five Ukrainian soldiers who were already in captivity and unarmed. This was reported by ThePublic.info, citing the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The incident occurred on November 19, 2025. According to investigators, during the assault on Ukrainian positions, Russian soldiers captured five Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters. The prisoners were lying face down on the ground, after which one of the Russian army representatives aimed and opened fire with an automatic rifle, killing all five.

Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have opened a criminal case under the article on war crimes. Under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor's office, urgent investigative actions have begun — law enforcement is establishing the participants of the execution and collecting evidence for international publicity and further judicial prosecution.

The report adds that similar crimes by the Russian army have been recorded previously. In particular, in September, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine conducted a special operation in the Primorsky Krai of the Russian Federation, where military personnel involved in the executions of civilians and Ukrainian prisoners were eliminated. Additionally, earlier in the village of Zvanivka in Bakhmut district, the occupiers shot five civilians.