Russians execute five ukrainian prisoners of war near Kotline, Donetsk region

The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office has announced the start of an investigation into a war crime related to the deaths of five captured Ukrainian servicemen. The Prosecutor General’s Office reports this.

According to the investigation, on November 19, 2025, during an assault on Ukrainian positions near the village of Kotline, Pokrovskyі District, Russian servicemen captured five Ukrainian soldiers. When the unarmed Ukrainian servicemen were lying on the ground, one of the Russian servicemen, according to the preliminary version, opened aimed fire on them.

The prosecutor’s office emphasizes that such actions grossly violate the norms of international humanitarian law. “The killing of prisoners of war is a direct violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a grave international crime,” the report says.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – violation of the laws and customs of war, which caused the death of people.

The investigation has already begun urgent investigative actions aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident and specific individuals involved in the crime. The investigation is being conducted by the Main Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.