United Nations condemns ‘summary execution of prisoners of war’ by both Russia, Ukraine

close Video

Russia says its captured three more districts in Bakhmut

Fox News correspondent Alex Hogan has the latest on the battle for Bakhmut and plans for Ukrainians to learn how to use Abrams tanks on ‘Fox News Live.’

The United Nations called on Russia and Ukraine to treat prisoners of war humanely Tuesday, days after recordings emerged that appeared to show military leaders on both sides of the fight calling for the summary execution of prisoners. 

“If verified, the order to summarily execute persons hors de combat, including prisoners of war, followed by their killing or an attempt to do so amounts to a war crime, as does the declaration that no quarter will be given,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement Tuesday. “We call on Russian and Ukrainian authorities to comply with their obligations under international law to investigate the statements in these recordings and to identify and prosecute those responsible.”

Audio first surfaced on multiple Telegram channels Sunday that appeared to show Ukrainian forces ordering the killing of a Russian prisoner of war. 

• 
  next
  Image 1 of 3

  Ukrainian prisoners of war are seen during a swap, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location, Ukraine, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released April 16, 2023.  (Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Handout via REUTERS)

• 
  prev

  next
  Image 2 of 3

  Ukrainian prisoners of war during a prisoner swap in mid-April.  (Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Handout via REUTERS)

• 
  prev
  Image 3 of 3

  Ukrainian prisoners of war walk to safety.  (Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Handout via REUTERS)

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who leads the Russian mercenary group Wagner, responded by saying that his forces will kill all rival soldiers in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that has been the center of fighting for months. 

“We will kill everyone on the battlefield. Take no more prisoners of war!” Prigozhin said Sunday in a Telegram message, according to Agence France-Presse. 

RUSSIAN ‘SPIES’ AMONG US: A LOOK AT THE NEW YORK COMPOUND THAT HOUSES KREMLIN ‘INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS’

The authenticity of the recordings are in dispute, the UN noted. 

• 
  next
  Image 1 of 2

  Servicemen from Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions released in recent prisoner exchange in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict arrive in the town of Amvrosiivka (Amvrosievka), Donetsk region, Russian-controlled Ukraine November 6, 2022.  (REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)

• 
  prev
  Image 2 of 2

  Service members return to the town of Amvrosiivka in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region after a prisoner swap.  (REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine released a report last month that documented 40 summary executions on both sides of the war since Russia invaded in February 2022. Prisoners were also subjected to varying degrees of torture, including beatings, electrocution, shootings, stabbings, and mock executions, the report said. 

SWEDEN BECOMES ‘LEGITIMATE TARGET’ BY JOINING NATO, RUSSIAN ENVOY SAYS

“Almost half of the 229 Russian POWs who we interviewed spoke of being tortured or ill-treated by members of Ukrainian armed forces and the SBU, and to a lesser extent penitentiary staff,” Matilda Bogner, a spokesperson for the UN’s mission in Ukraine, said in a statement.

“In relation to the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, we are also deeply concerned by the summary execution of 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war shortly after being captured by Russian armed forces. The Wagner Group military and security contractors perpetrated 11 of these executions,” Bogner added.

• 
  next
  Image 1 of 2

  An interior view shows a basement of a building, which Ukrainian authorities say was a makeshift Russian prison and torture chamber during Russia’s invasion in the village of Kozacha Lopan, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on September 18, 2022.   (REUTERS/Viktoriia Yakymenko)

• 
  prev
  Image 2 of 2

  Ukrainian authorities have accused Russian forces of torturing prisoners of war.  (REUTERS/Viktoriia Yakymenko)

Disturbing videos and photographs have surfaced on social media over the course of the war that show war crimes.

One video earlier this month appeared to show Russian forces beheading a Ukrainian service member with a knife. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A disturbing video surfaced on social media earlier this month that appeared to show Russian forces beheading a Ukrainian service member. 

“There is something that no one in the world can ignore: how easily these beasts kill,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in reaction to the beheading video. “This video, the execution of a Ukrainian captive, the world must see it. This is a video of Russia as it is. What kind of creatures they are.” 

Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Paul.Best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.