Stories from Ukraine

Police anti-drone groups have begun operations in the frontline village of Bilenke within the Zaporizhzhia region. Law enforcement officers are patrolling the settlement and escorting municipal services.

Counter-intelligence, security services, and national police disrupted a planned contract killing of editor O. Two suspects were recruited via Telegram channels seeking easy income. Russian intelligence services reportedly provided the agents with test tasks during the recruitment process. Investigators established that both suspects are linked to at least two murders in Ukraine's northern region. Ukrainian law enforcement officials have disrupted a plot to assassinate a military editor. The operation involved anti-drone police groups patrolling settlements and escorting utility services. Authorities are investigating contacts between the perpetrators and Russian intelligence services regarding the preparation for the attack. Ukrainian drone system units, including those in the Third Army Corps and Seventh Airborne Corps, reported killing 1,180 Russian personnel in a single day.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) provided a grant of over 50 million euros to Ukrzaliznytsia. The agreement was signed by Ukrzaliznytsia Chairman Oleksandr Porcovskyi and EBRD President Elina Batrak. The funding is intended to improve passenger comfort and safety on the Ukrainian railway network. Ukrzaliznytsia board chairman Oleksandr Porcovskyi and EBRD President Serena Maragakis signed an agreement for a 50 million euro grant. The funds will support energy solutions to ensure train operations during potential blackouts. Plans include improving station accessibility in Kyiv and Lviv for persons with disabilities and passengers with heavy luggage.

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that a grain shipment allegedly stolen by Russia from occupied territory cannot be considered legitimate. President Volodymyr Zelensky escalated the matter this afternoon, stating the trade helps finance the Russian war effort.

The UN has requested a figure of over 10 regarding Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia. However, the European Union's foreign ministry and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense report 177 individuals. Viktoria Tsymbaliuk, a representative of the Ministry of Defense's coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners, discussed these assessment errors in an interview. She told Politika that Russia does not return all bodies of those who die in captivity. Estimates for the number of Ukrainian prisoners of war who died in Russian custody vary significantly. This lack of access for the Red Cross and other human rights monitors contributes to the uncertainty in the total count.

Kyiv maintains that an explosion was carried out from within a building to intentionally eliminate Russian prisoners of war. Moscow has reportedly denied international investigators access to additional documents regarding Alexei Navalny. This action is described as a deliberate attempt to eliminate prisoners. Kyiv reports that between 53 and 62 Ukrainian prisoners died following the destruction of a building housing them. Russian authorities have denied the claim, asserting the damage resulted from HIMARS strikes from the Ukrainian side. Radio Svoboda reported that the strike targeted prisoners defending the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. The report noted that while some suggest a Ukrainian HIMARS system was used, experts studying site imagery and testimonies from released Ukrainian prisoners have disputed that claim.

Russian prisoners of war have reportedly provided testimony stating they received orders to carry out executions. Pavlichenko noted that evidence includes numerous videos and social media reports of these crimes. The lack of accountability from Russian command is cited as a factor in these occurrences. These actions are allegedly linked to the emergence of the Storm-Z unit, composed of former convicts. Russian prisoner of war Vyacheslav Delyagin, from the Storm Z battalion, claims he received orders to shoot prisoners rather than take them. The incident reportedly occurred after the capture of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade. Delyagin stated that the command indicated there was no time to deal with prisoners. The claim follows video footage reportedly released on the Azov YouTube channel in October.

Evgeny Zakharov, director of a Kharkiv-based human rights group, linked the hardening of Russian tactics to the emergence of Storm-Z units in 2023. These units are reportedly composed of former prisoners who committed serious crimes.

Relatives and witnesses are confirming the identities and military affiliations of deceased Ukrainian service members in certain cases where military uniforms are visible.

The incident occurred near the village of Nesuchne in the Donetsk region during a Russian military advance. A similar incident involving two soldiers was reported in Vremivka, Kadievka region. Experts stated that most of these killings take place on the battlefield during large-scale operations. Brian Dooley, senior advisor to Human Rights First, stated that most prisoner executions occur when large groups of Ukrainian soldiers are captured on the battlefield. Dooley noted these incidents have increased over the last year as Russia advances from east to west. Under the Geneva Convention, a prisoner of war is defined as someone in the power of the enemy from the moment of surrender. The source indicated that Russian tactics have become more stringent. Russian authorities are preventing international humanitarian missions from accessing Ukrainian prisoners of war.