Russians Brutally Execute 337+ Ukrainian POWs

Russia has “deliberately and brutally” executed at least 337 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) as of the end of 2025, Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said on March 3 during a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, according to The Kyiv Independent.

“Russia has turned torture into state policy and uses it as a weapon,” Lubinets said in a post on Telegram.

Lubinets added that, according to UN data, 95% of Ukrainian POWs are systematically tortured in captivity.

Lubinets called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia, ensure that every crime is fully documented, and bring those responsible to justice.

“This issue is critically important — the world cannot stand aside,” he said.

The mistreatment of prisoners of war constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

The European Union, condemning the execution of Ukrainian soldiers, stated in 2024: Executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russia are increasing, with at least 177 prisoners of war having died in Russian captivity since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression, according to reliable sources. Nine Ukrainian prisoners of war were reportedly shot by Russian troops in the Kursk region on 10 October. On 1 October, 16 prisoners of war were reportedly executed by Russia in Donetsk oblast after their surrender.

“The European Union strongly condemns these killings, which are another abhorrent example of Russia’s brutalization of the Ukrainian people. These cases are appalling and represent grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. They demonstrate Russia’s continued and systematic disregard for international law, and in particular, international humanitarian law. Russia has clear obligations under the United Nations Charter and international law it must fulfill.

“That Russian public figures publicly call for the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and glorify these executions, calling for more, exposes yet again the real nature of the regime in the Kremlin.

“The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) already confirmed the systematic use of a wide range of different methods of torture, including sexual violence, against Ukrainian prisoners of war by their Russian captors. The EU also condemns the prisoners’ lack of access to the outside world and the denial of humanitarian access for independent monitors.

“The EU reiterates its firm commitment to holding to account all perpetrators and accomplices of Russian war crimes against Ukraine.”

Russian torture and mistreatment of Ukrainian POWs is a repeated crimes against humanity

The HRMMU reported that Ukrainian soldiers had their personal belongings stolen during admission into POW camps, and that the prisoners were taken to the camps into overcrowded buses, with little to no access to water and toilets; many were blindfolded with their wrists bound with duct tape in a way that left many with wounds in these areas. The same was reported inside the camps themselves, with many POWs reporting overcrowded cells, as well as a lack of food, hygiene and contact with their families.

Humiliation of captured Ukrainian soldiers

Videos showing Ukrainian prisoners of war being forced to sing pro-Russian songs or carrying bruises have attracted concerns about their treatment. Dmytro Lubinets claimed that Russians forcibly shaved heads of female Ukrainian prisoners.

Ukrainian prisoner of war and human rights activist Maksym Butkevych was sentenced to 13 years in prison. The vast majority of Ukrainian prisoners who had in the hands of the Russian and Russian-affiliated armed groups reported that they had been interned in dire conditions and subjected to torture and ill-treatment, including beatings, threats, dog attacks, mock executions, as well as electric and positional torture. Several women and male prisoners were threatened with sexual violence and subjected to degrading treatments and enforced nudity. A male prisoner reportedly had been pulled with ropes tied around genitalia. The UN agency also collected information about nine possible cases of death during the “admission procedure” to the internment camps.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture said in September 2023 that Russia’s use of torture “is not random, aberrant behavior” but “orchestrated as part of state policy to intimidate, instill fear or punish to extract information and confessions.”