Ukraine investigating 'execution' of surrendering troops by Russian forces

Ukraine is investigating the "execution" by Russian forces of two Ukrainian soldiers who emerged from their trench near the town of Avdiivka and were shot dead as they surrendered.

- Luke Harding

The public prosecutor's office said it had launched an inquiry into the incident. Video showed the Ukrainian soldiers' last moments. One raised his arms in the air. Next, Russian service personnel gunned both men down at point-blank range. The footage was filmed near the village of Stepove, close to Avdiivka, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, where intense fighting is taking place.

"This is another crime committed by Russian terrorists. Violation of the rules of war. The killing of unarmed soldiers," the speaker of Ukraine's parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, tweeted.

He added: "Russia has once again proved that it is a terrorist country for which there are no laws and norms of international law."

The dead soldiers served in Ukraine's 45th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade, the Deep State channel said on Telegram. They abandoned their frontline dugout only after running out of ammunition. One unconfirmed report said the Russians were themselves killed soon afterwards.

Pro-Kremlin military bloggers shrugged off the shooting. "In war, unfortunately, such events happen. Only a small part gets into the frame," one commentator who posts under the name Rybar commented, adding that the "speed of decision-making in the heat of battle" was "a matter of life and death".

Russia's military command began a major offensive against Avdiivka in October, and has been trying for nearly two months to encircle the town. Its forces have had some success, capturing an industrial zone in the south and moving forward in Stepove and other villages to the north.