Ukraine’s Special Forces strike back, neutralize Russian squad behind POW executions
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) reported on Jan.
17 that they neutralized part of a Russian group responsible for executing
captured members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) and forced
the remaining perpetrators to surrender, sharing footage of the captured
soldiers.
“Russian forces executed two TDF fighters they had taken prisoner
several days ago in one of the operational areas. They believed their crime
would go unpunished. Meanwhile, one of our SOF units meticulously planned an
operation to eliminate the group responsible and recover the bodies of our
soldiers,” the statement read.
During the special operation, Ukrainian defenders eliminated
part of the execution squad. Those who survived were forced to surrender. Among
them were marines from Russia’s 40th Arctic Brigade.
Under interrogation, the captured Russian troops admitted
they had taken two TDF soldiers prisoner and reported it to their company
commander, who then ordered their execution over the radio.
Upon hearing this, the Ukrainian POWs attempted to escape,
but Russian soldiers with the call signs Yaryi, Lebid, Boom, and Bilyi opened
fire.
“SOF operators eliminated three of them during the
operation, while Yaryi and two others were captured and are now providing
testimony,” the SOF said.
The captured Russian soldiers were contract servicemen with
only 1.5 months of service in the Russian army.
Earlier, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary human
rights commissioner, revealed in a Dec. 18 interview that in 2024, the number
of confirmed executions of Ukrainian soldiers by Russian forces nearly doubled
compared to the previous two years of full-scale war.
Out of 177 verified executions, 109 took place in 2024. On
Jan. 6, Lubinets reported another suspected war crime by Russia—the execution
of three Ukrainian POWs.
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