Russian commanders openly encourage the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war

The increase in the number of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian troops has been observed in the entire theater of war recently, reports the American Institute for the Study of War.

…Russian commanders likely openly condone, encourage, or directly order the execution of Ukrainian POWs… Russian forces have executed 93 Ukrainian POWs on the battlefield since the start of the full-scale invasion, with 80% of the reported cases occurring in 2024. The largest single case of the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war took place on October 1, when Russian troops executed 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Pokrovsk region, the Institute for the Study of War reports in a summary.

The Institute for the Study of War points to an expanding trend of abuses by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian prisoners of war at various areas of the front, which were apparently authorized, if not directly approved, by individual Russian commanders.

It is also reported that Russian media bloggers, who are active Russian military personnel and volunteers, largely glorify the Russian execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war, reinforcing the cultural norm of justifying and celebrating war crimes in the wider Russian ultranationalist community. Analysts note that they “specially called on the Russian military to increase the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the entire theater of war.”

…Many of these Russian milieu bloggers have very large followings and ties to the Kremlin, giving them a sense of authority in establishing and reinforcing accepted cultural norms within the Russian ultra-nationalist community… Russian milieu bloggers have often glorified Russian atrocities and brutality in Ukraine since the start of a full-scale invasion, and this glorification highlights a broader culture that likely encourages the systematic execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the Institute for the Study of War notes.