Kyiv claims Russian forces killed six captured Ukrainian troops

Kyiv accused Russian forces on Thursday of killing six captured Ukrainian servicemen and said it was notifying international rights groups of the latest alleged Russian war crime. (Reuters/File)
Short Url
Updated 23 January 2025
Follow

Kyiv claims Russian forces killed six captured Ukrainian troops

  • Officials both in Moscow and Kyiv have accused the other’s army of carrying out killings
  • “In the video, the occupiers recorded their own crime,” Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets wrote in a social media post

KYIV: Kyiv accused Russian forces on Thursday of killing six captured Ukrainian servicemen and said it was notifying international rights groups of the latest alleged Russian war crime.
Officials both in Moscow and Kyiv have accused the other’s army of carrying out killings of captured soldiers in violation of international law.
The Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets made the allegations referring to footage circulating on social media that appears to show Russian troops shooting unarmed Ukrainian troops to death.
“In the video, the occupiers recorded their own crime — shooting six Ukrainian soldiers who were captured in the back,” he wrote in a social media post.
The video, which has spread across social media, could not be verified by AFP and there was no immediate comment from Moscow on the claims.
It appears to show Russian soldiers in a muddied frontline area ordering the Ukrainian troops to a clearing where they are then shot in the back one by one.
“I am once again sending information about this crime to the UN and the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross). These facts must be recorded,” Lubinets added.


UK police drop probe into Bob Vylan comments about Israeli military

Updated 5 sec ago
Follow

UK police drop probe into Bob Vylan comments about Israeli military

  • Performance ‌by ⁠Bob ​Vylan ‌included on-stage chants by lead singer of “death, death to the IDF”

LONDON: British police said on Tuesday they would take no further action over comments made about the ​Israeli military during a performance by punk duo Bob Vylan at the Glastonbury music festival in June.

“We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) for any person to be ‌prosecuted,” Avon and ‌Somerset Police said.

The performance ‌by ⁠Bob ​Vylan ‌included on-stage chants by lead singer Bobby Vylan of “death, death to the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces which was heavily involved in fighting in Gaza.

There was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, the police said.

The force ⁠said it interviewed a man in his mid-30s and contacted ‌about 200 members of the ‍public during the investigation.

The on-stage ‍comments drew widespread criticism, including from Prime ‍Minister Keir Starmer and the Israeli Embassy in London. The BBC, Britain’s publicly owned broadcaster, also faced backlash for not halting a livestream of the performance.

In its ​statement on Tuesday, Avon and Somerset Police said it considered the intent behind the ⁠words, the wider context, case law and freedom of speech issues before concluding the investigation.

“We believe it is right this matter was comprehensively investigated, every potential criminal offense was thoroughly considered, and we sought all the advice we could to ensure we made an informed decision,” it said.

“The comments made on Saturday 28 June drew widespread anger, proving that words have real-world consequences,” the statement ‌said, adding the force had engaged with Jewish community groups throughout the process.