UN urges Russia, Ukraine to condemn audio recordings on execution of war prisoners

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN on Tuesday urged both Russia and Ukraine to condemn recently surfaced audio recordings that prisoners of war would be executed.

"We urgently call on both the Russian and Ukrainian authorities to investigate and to swiftly and publicly condemn audio recordings that have emerged over the weekend in which people with apparent connections on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine appear to order the summary execution of prisoners of war or declare that there shall be no survivors on the battlefield," Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a UN press briefing.

Noting that the UN had yet to verify the authenticity of the recordings, Shamdasani underlined that such statements "could provoke or encourage summary executions of prisoners of war or those hors de combat."

"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," she said. "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."

She also called on military commanders and other superiors to issue "clear and unambiguous orders to protect and treat humanely" prisoners of war and those considered hors de combat — literally "out of the fight" — and to ensure that these orders are strictly complied with.

On Sunday, audio recordings appeared on multiple Telegram channels instructing soldiers not to take prisoners of war or to summarily execute those they caught, the spokesperson said.

One is said to be of a Ukrainian armed forces soldier ordering the execution of a prisoner of war from the Wagner paramilitary group fighting for Russia, Shamdasani said, adding that a subsequent audio statement was issued, purportedly from the Wagner Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, indicating that they would no longer be taking prisoners of war on the battlefield.