“In Cold Blood”: Russian Forces Executing Surrendering Ukrainian Soldiers

this news is funded by viewers like you please support our work at democracynow.org this is democracy Now democracynow.org The War and Peace report I’m Amy Goodman with Nur scha as we continue our conversation with belis Villa uh she is the associate director with the crisis conflict and arms division at Human Rights Watch and she’s joining us from ke the capital of Ukraine where US Secretary of State Anthony blinkin made a surprise trip on Tuesday he spoke at a joint press conference in cave with Ukrainian foreign minister demitro kba we will provide an additional $2 billion in foreign military financing for Ukraine and we put this together in a firstof its kind uh defense Enterprise fund and it has three components uh one is to provide weapons today uh so this will assist Ukraine in acquiring those weapons two is to focus as well on something that demitro just talked about investing in Ukraine’s defense industrial base uh helping to strengthen even more its capacity to produce what it needs for itself but also to produce for others and finally using this fund to help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries not just the United States for Ukraine’s use this comes as Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from some areas in the northeastern region of khv as Russia forces continue a new offensive that’s displaced thousands the Ukrainian city of V shans is reportedly in Ruins following Relentless Russian shelling Ukrainian President Vladimir zalinski has postponed all of his upcoming foreign travel amid the new Russian offensive Human Rights Watch has a new report out on Ukraine titled Russian forces executed surrendering Ukraine soldiers so uh belis Villa if you could talk about that report the human rights report uh Human Rights Watch report on this uh on Russia and Ukraine and these incidents that you document of Russians um killing uh surrendering Ukrainian soldiers unfortunately this is not something new in this conflict since the full-scale invasion we’ve seen instances of execution of prisoners of War uh on on the Ukrainian side and and even on the on on the Russian side um but what we’ve seen now the last month and and and the report that we published covers these new emerging videos it’s it’s clips of Drone footage uh we believe these to probably be Ukrainian military drones that are flying near the front line and in the context as you said of uh Russia retaking certain areas where there had been fighting and and and pushing the front line um we have these uh five incidents that we’ve documented where uh you see in in in clear detail in some cases in this drone footage Ukrainian soldiers coming out of uh foxholes and dugouts they are very clearly intending to surrender they take off their their their vests they they put down their helmets they lie on the ground and put their hands up and then and then we see them being executed by Russian soldiers in Cold Blood uh the the footage is is really um shocking I would say to to watch and and really captures uh the brutality of these killings vus can you talk about what’s changed right now the intensification of the Russian attack especially on Ukraine’s second largest city hariv and the region around it and the significance now of um you have shei meeting with Putin um and shei presenting the peace plan and saying that it looks like he wants to be a negotiator of that plan that there must be peace in the region absolutely you know we we’ve come unfortunately to a moment in this fullscale invasion where um Russia seems to have the upper hand is is pushing the front line uh and the reality of course is is who pays the price Ukrainian civilians Ukrainian civilians are coming under repeated attack as you said in some cities that recently have been decimated by consistent shelling hardk is a is a huge City uh full of a civilian population many of them already had to evacuate in 2022 as Russian forces were approaching the city they returned home they’ve done a lot to rebuild parts of the city that were damaged and now again they come to the to this moment where they wonder whether they need to evacuate including families with young children that really don’t know if they’re safe in their homes be because of this this Russian assault and belis for this uh the Human Rights Watch report uh that we’re talking about uh you wrote a Human Rights Watch wrote a letter to the Russian defense minister Serge Shu uh at the end towards the end of April asking about the incidents that you document if you could explain what the letter said and whether you’ve received a response uh you’ve also pointed out that Human Rights Watch for decades has documented Uh Russian war crimes from Chia to Syria and now in Ukraine has the Russian government responded in the past to requests from Human Rights Watch for responses to incid that you have documented in this letter we asked about these very specific incidents we shared with them um links to access the Drone footage that we reviewed we asked them to share with us what information there was into uh why these killings occurred why these Ukrainian soldiers were executed and we we wanted to know whether there’s actually an order that’s been uh put in place a command telling Uh Russian soldiers to execute Ukrainian soldiers rather than take them prisoners of course a very serious War crime we did not receive a response to that letter and and as you said in the sadly Decades of our documentation of war crimes committed by by Russia we do not receive substantive responses to to our letters at all and and so it really um blocks any ability on our side to directly engage with the Russian government and with the Russian army um on the abuses that continue to be perpetrated and what we don’t see uh or we don’t know of is any measures being taken by the Russian military to hold its own um soldiers accountable when they commit war crimes and of course now shu is out as uh defense minister what are you calling on Russia and the United States to do particularly as both continue to use or provide banned Munitions and let’s talk about Secretary of State uh Tony blinkin in Ukraine this week where he announced a $2 billion in additional military funding to Ukraine saying the US is working to quickly get more Amun and weapons to the front lines is this the answer velas Villa well here I really want to dive into one very specific issue which is the issue of banned Munitions being used in in this war um the the particular munition that that I’m speaking about are are cluster Munitions these are a type of munition that most countries around the world ban the use of absolutely because of the harm they pose to civilians um there’s there’s a a convention that many states have signed on to indeed unfortunately the US Ukraine and Russia have not signed uh the treaty that bans the use of cluster Munitions and since uh I remember it it was in the very first hours of the full-scale invasion uh by Russia of Ukraine in 2022 that we heard about a cluster Munitions attack only two weeks ago there was a horrifying cluster attack by Russian forces on the city of Odessa this was at 700 p.m. on a joggers path it killed five C Ians injured over 30 more including two children and and a pregnant woman um and then tying this of course to the US the US has been uh uh shipping more cluster Munitions these same Munitions um to Ukraine for Ukraine to use the latest shipment the fifth shipment of cluster Munitions from the United States was announced in in late April and and clearly adding banned Munitions more ban Munitions into this conflict is absolutely not the answer and this is what you know what continues to harm Ukrainian civilians democracy Now is funded by viewers like you please give today at democracynow.org give

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Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from some areas in the northeastern region of Kharkiv as Russian forces continue a new offensive that has displaced thousands. This latest setback for Ukraine comes more than two years after Russia invaded the country. Human Rights Watch has documented several incidents of Russian soldiers summarily executing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, with drone footage showing the killings “in clear detail,” says Belkis Wille, associate director with the Crisis, Conflict, and Arms Division at Human Rights Watch. “They take off their vests, they put down their helmets, they lie on the ground and put their hands up. And then we see them being executed by Russian soldiers in cold blood.”

Transcript: https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/16/ukraine_russia

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49 comments

  5. Good thing with a vpn I’m still watching RT and Presstv for the other perspective and come to my own reality of the situation. Most just have this to go by 😞

  6. Yes, we, the global public' would have to see the footage of these accused incidents in order to make any judgement ourselves. Unfortunately there already IS video of incidents from both side of such occurrences but also as many of prisoners being treated fairly by both sides. Tragically war brings out the best and WORSE in human beings no matter what flag they're carrying and war's cruelty and brutality changes many people into ruthless animals for survival and revenge. I fear the earlier documented accounts of Ukrainians executing Russian Soldiers and Russian speaking Ukrainians certainly would not have helped. p.s, it's hardly accurate to call this a "full invasion" either despite it's size.

  8. Interesting how DemocracyNow! typically provides more informed reporting than many corporate outlets, yet the comment section is always filled with the most idiotic opinions out there. Are you all bots, or just sympathetic to Russian fascism?

  11. How can we trust reports from Ukraine; they are on the same side as Israel and US. If Israel Lies, US lies or (hides/ignores the truth), Why would we expect the Ukraine officials to be truthful?

  12. "To help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries not just USA" ..So, using the war to try to flood EU with Dollars, haven't we seen that before?

  14. O que querem os EUA? Provocam guerras no mundo todo e não querem que os países atingidos se defendam, distribuem dinheiro e armas para seus aliados que matam e esfolam a todos e mantém esses conflitos mortais acusando aqueles que se defendem, de tudo quanto é crime e saem ilesos, se acham santos, donos do planeta e que nós somos seus escravos? Porque EUA não oferecem ferramentas para a paz mundial e ao invés disso, oferecem armas, mais guerras, mais mortes? Qual o futuro disso, serem odiados por todos, porque é isso que está ocorrendo e vocês não conseguem perceber.

  16. The Ukrainian soldiers should immediatly stop comitting war crimes.
    There is no use to tell lies about Russian soldiers, while Ukrainians are happily committing war crimes, themselves….while cheering and laughing.
    All these fake news and video clips from Ukraine let to a point, where nobody is willing to believe their lies. – Not even a mentally handicapped person would believe this nonsense. It's ridiculous.

  19. Russian Forces Executing Surrendering Ukrainian Soldiers ? Show us this footage ? A Ukrainian ploy to stop the conscripts getting a better deal from the Russians !

  24. At least 1,993 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured since the escalation of war more than two years ago. In just 7 months Israel has killed more than 15,000 children and injured 40,000 children more.

  25. In 52 months of war ,1,993 children have been killed are injured in Ukraine, half were killed by Ukraine forces themselves are missiles that were shot down, in just 7 months Israel has killed over 15,000 children and injured over 40,000.

  28. It's amazing how nations who never go into war sign all of these bans, which will follow as they have zero intentions to kill others.

    On the otherhand, the nations involved with mass murder do use them. Why fight over land, when you are dead maximum in 50 years time if you are middle aged? Will your children value the loss of life? Or is just plain old greed?

  29. Its sad to see so many people in comments saying Russia is not doing that, but soon as they say U.S. did this or that they instantly believe it and curse U.S.🤔

  30. I am glad they are mentioning both sides. The problem is once one side starts dirty attacks and traps the other side respond in kind , unfortunately. Be aware it is war and both sides commit atrocious acts and will present justifications.

  33. Since 2014 with the direct baking of the US, Ukraine has been using even chemical weapons and cluster munitions on Russian civilians. The Ukraine army has been in the business of executing Russian soldiers forever as documented and presented to the UN. Where were these human rights activists including this brave lady, then? Russian Soldiers don’t execute prisoners of war. I am sure the video referred to are staged by Ukraine Nazi Battalion of Azov!

  36. Fake News.
    Ukrainian Nazis have been caught doing the same thing and theres video of it.
    Ukrainian fan boys clearly and western propaganda.

  37. It is an unwelcome sight to see that journalists promote messages saying for us to think the only options for war to end is a truce between people who are controlled by powers that will always force people to hate each other, or just continuing the war as normal. 
    Real dictators think everyone is F ornicating U nder C onsent of the K ing.

  39. Talk about your own war crime usa. usa government , military, media nothing but warmongers, war criminals.

    Stop using, exploiting Ukraine shamless. You all will soon be cursed by Mother Nature.

  40. This news source stopped feeling independent since october. Sellouts have been getting more blatant with their propaganda.

  42. Julian Assange is in prison for showing USA committed war crimes. To be consistent you should be in prison for suggesting that Russia committed a war crime.

  43. How can anyone invade a sovereign nation, and kills the citizens of this nation this way?

    Where is the Pope? What does he not put an end to this unjustified attack against innocent Ukrainians?

    Where is the king of this world, talking about respecting the earth, saving the earth; how about SAVING Ukraine from a bloodthirsty enemy?

    I believe in ONE KING ONLY: JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, the SAVIOR of the whole world. HE IS THE ONLY TRUE KING, & THE GOVERNMENT of this world is on HIS SHOULDERS.

    So let no one tell me about any pope, or any king on this earth!

    Brother's & Sisters, let's BOW DOWN to our KING, our CREATOR, SUSTAINER, & LOVER of us.

  46. I would like to know how the investigation is going on the war crimes committed by the Ukrainian military? There have been tons of reports from people in Donbas and other parts of the combat zone that have described Ukr war crimes! Also, it is well known that the Ukr military has set up weapons in residential zones and inner city areas. How is that going Human Rights Watch??

  48. Thank you Democracy Now for your Gaza coverage, but you are whores for the government when it comes to Russia and Ukraine. Shame on you for your lies in this US/NATO instigated conflict. It's the US primarily who is responsible for all the deaths in Ukraine since 2014 when it did a coup which in the 8 years before 2022 allowed Ukraine to kill 14,000 ethnic Russian speaking Ukrainian civilians. Have you ever reported on the Union Trade building massacre in Odessa in I believe 2015, the Minsk accords also in I think 2015 that would have, if followed, established a fair peace with a Ukraine intact, the statements by US officials saying "WE will fight Russia to the last Ukrainian", using a generation of Ukrainian youth's lives to try and destroy Russia? Shame on you Amy Goodman, but I suppose you'd be unemployed quickly if you didn't bend over most of the time for our corrupt and evil corporate banker run empire.

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