Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence directorate published an audio intercept it says confirms another war crime committed by Russian forces.
According to the intercepted call, two servicemen from Russia’s army shot local civilians in the Pokrovsk area and then left their positions without authorization. The information is confirmed in the conversation by an officer of the 30th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of Russia’s 3rd Army, the agency said.
In the recording, a Russian soldier speaks openly about the crime and warns fellow troops about the fugitives: “Look, there are two ‘pencils,’ two ‘pencils’ — they might come into your area. Those b------ shot civilians and fled.”
The intercept also includes an order to detain the soldiers involved. The officer tells subordinates to seize them immediately if spotted: “So if you see them, detain them as soon as they cross your path — tie them up.”
Ukraine’s military intelligence said systematic killings of civilians, as well as extrajudicial reprisals against Russia’s own servicemen, again demonstrate that war crimes are a deliberate, targeted policy. It added that every crime committed against the Ukrainian people will be met with inevitable, just retribution.
Two days earlier, two people were killed in Donetsk region by Russian shelling.
