The Ukrainian prosecutor's office has launched a pre-trial investigation into the alleged execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Zaporizhia region. The case is in the Gulyaipol direction, where, according to preliminary data, Russian servicemen captured Ukrainian defenders and then shot them.
“According to preliminary data, in the Gulyaipol direction in the Zaporizhia region, Russian servicemen captured Ukrainian defenders and then shot them“, the Ukrainian prosecutor's office reported. The investigation is being conducted under the procedural supervision of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor's Office for a military crime resulting in the death of people, under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Investigators must clarify all the circumstances surrounding the case, identify the direct perpetrators and verify which persons may have given the order to kill the prisoners. Law enforcement agencies are analyzing materials provided by the Ukrainian military, including data from intercepted conversations of representatives of the Russian armed forces. Pre-trial proceedings are ongoing.
The military claims to have intercepted conversations
The spokesman for the Ukrainian operational-strategic group “South“ Maksym Kravchuk told “Ukrainska Pravda“ that the murders were filmed by Ukrainian military personnel a few days ago. He said Ukrainian forces intercepted radio conversations between Russian servicemen during the alleged killing.
Kravchuk claims that orders were given in the conversations to immediately eliminate wounded Ukrainian servicemen. According to him, two prisoners of war were probably killed. The Ukrainian side assumes that the Russian servicemen involved are from the 38th separate motorized rifle brigade, which is participating in the fighting in the area. This data is to be verified as part of the investigation.
The Ukrainian military described the case as new evidence of alleged war crimes and called for an international response. There has been no public announcement of a completed investigation, charges filed, or suspects identified in the specific episode.
Ukraine has reported hundreds of similar cases
In August 2026, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubynets stated that Russian forces have executed at least 345 Ukrainian servicemen who surrendered in captivity since the start of the full-scale war. The number includes cases reported and investigated by Ukrainian authorities, not just the episode in Zaporizhia Oblast.
In the new proceedings, the prosecutor's office will examine both the data from the communication intercepts and the materials provided, as well as the identities of the alleged perpetrators and possible commanders involved in the crime.
Sources: ukrinform.net, kyivindependent.com, pravda.com.ua