"I recognized my son by his underwear." Why is Russia increasingly killing Ukrainian prisoners?

Ukrainian sniper Aleksandar Macievski was captured by the Russians in the first year of the full-scale invasion. A video later emerged of him smoking his last cigarette in the woods - presumably next

to the grave he was forced to dig himself.

"Glory to Ukraine!" - he says to
the Russians. A few minutes later, he is shot and falls dead.

His murder is one of many.

According to reports, in October of this
year, Russian troops in the Kursk region killed nine captured Ukrainian
soldiers. The Ukrainian prosecutor's office is investigating the case, among
the evidence is a photo of half-naked bodies lying on the ground. This photo
was enough for the parents of one of the dead, drone operator Ruslan Golubenko,
to recognize them.

"[I recognized him] by the underwear I
bought for him on the beach," his bewildered mother told local Suspilne
Chernihiv TV channel.

The list of executions could go on. On
December 22, the Ombudsperson informed about the latest - the murder of five
prisoners. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating reports of the beheading and
use of a sword to kill a Ukrainian soldier whose hands were tied behind his
back.

In another video, 16 Ukrainian soldiers
appear to be lining up and being machine-gunned after they emerge from the forest to surrender.

 Some of the killings were filmed by the Russian army, while others were observed by
Ukrainian drones flying over the positions.

The murders captured on such videos usually
take place in forests or fields, so it is difficult to confirm their exact location.

However, BBC Verify was able to confirm in
several cases - including one beheading - that the victims were wearing
Ukrainian uniforms and that the footage was recent.

The numbers are growing

The Ukrainian prosecutor's office says that
since the beginning of the invasion, Russian forces have "executed at
least 147 Ukrainian prisoners of war, 127 of them this year."

"The growth trend is very clear, very
obvious," says Yury Belousov, head of the military department of the
Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

"Executions have become systematic
since November last year and have continued throughout this year.
Unfortunately, their numbers have increased especially this summer and autumn.
This suggests that these are not isolated cases. They are taking place over
huge areas and have clear signs of being part of the policy - there is evidence
that relevant instructions were issued," Belousov adds.

International humanitarian law, especially
the Third Geneva Convention, provides protection to prisoners of war, and their
execution is a war crime.

Even so, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of
Russia's Chechnya, briefly ordered his commanders in the war in Ukraine to
"take no prisoners."

 Impunity

Rachel Danber, deputy director for Europe
and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch, says there is no shortage of evidence
to support allegations of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian
forces. According to her, impunity plays a key role, and the Russian army must
answer very serious questions.

"What instructions are these units
receiving - official or unofficial - from their commanders? Are their
commanders clearly explaining what the Geneva Conventions say about the
treatment of prisoners of war? What are Russian military commanders telling
their units about their behavior? What steps has the leadership taken to
investigate these cases?", are the questions that Danber highlights.

"And if senior management does not
investigate or take steps to prevent this behavior, do they know that they are
also criminally responsible and could be prosecuted?", adds the human rights defender.

There is currently no indication that
Russia is officially investigating claims that its military executed Ukrainian
prisoners of war. Even mentioning such accusations in Russia is punishable by long prison terms.

According to Russian President Vladimir
Putin, Russian troops have "always" treated Ukrainian prisoners of
war "strictly in accordance with international legal documents and
international conventions."

Ukrainian forces have also been accused of
shooting Russian prisoners of war, but there have been far fewer such
accusations.

Yuri Belousov says that the Ukrainian
prosecutor's office takes such accusations "very seriously" and is
investigating them, but so far no one has been charged.

According to Human Rights Watch, since the
full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Russian forces have committed "numerous
violations, including those that should be investigated as war crimes or crimes
against humanity."

The statistics of abuse in the Russian army
are such that some Ukrainian soldiers would rather die than be captured.

"He told me, "Mother, I will
never surrender". He says, forgive me, but I don't want to be
mocked," says Ruslana Golubenko's mother.

Her son is still officially missing, and
she still has hope.

"I will do everything possible and
impossible to get my child back. I keep looking at this photo. Maybe he's just
unconscious? I want to believe, I don't want to think he's gone".