The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office has opened a war crimes investigation into the deaths of five captured Ukrainian servicemembers, the Office of the Prosecutor General said.
According to investigators, on November 19, 2025, during an assault on Ukrainian positions near the village of Kotlyne in the Pokrovsk district, Russian servicemembers took five fighters from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) prisoner. While the unarmed Ukrainian soldiers were on the ground, one of the Russian servicemembers, according to preliminary findings, opened aimed fire at them.
Prosecutors emphasized that such actions grossly violate international humanitarian law. “The killing of prisoners of war is a direct violation of the Geneva Conventions and constitutes one of the gravest international crimes,” the statement said.
A pretrial investigation is underway under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code—violation of the laws and customs of war resulting in death. Investigators have already begun urgent actions to establish all the circumstances and identify those responsible. The probe is being conducted by the SBU’s Main Directorate in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
