Two Commanders Of Ukraine's Azov Battalion Wanted Over Persecution Of Eight Russian Prisoners Of War

Ilustrasi Batalion Azov di Mariupol, Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/Carl Ridderstråle)

JAKARTA - Two Ukrainian nationalist battalion commanders Azov were responsible for the abuse of at least eight Russian prisoners of war, the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee told media on Thursday after an on-site meeting held by the chairman of the Russian Investigative Commission, Alexander Bastrykin in Donetsk.

"The investigation has evidence that the commanders of the Azov nationalist battalions, SO Velichko and KV Nemichev, were responsible for the violation of the lives of at least eight prisoners of war, by means of inflicting multiple bodily injuries, including with the use of firearms on the territory of the Kharkov Region," the press service said. TASS April 7th.

Velichko and Nemichev have been charged in absentia under article 317 of the Russian Penal Code. Action is being taken to track and arrest them.

Also, Russian investigators are working on a criminal case opened against members of the Ukrainian nationalist group Khizanishvili and Antonyuk, who, acting together and in coordination on orders from their military commanders, committed brutal crimes against Russian soldiers in the Kyiv region.

Earlier, Bastrykin issued an order to identify Ukrainian nationalists involved in the abuse of Russian soldiers, who will be recognized as plaintiffs and interrogated, in connection with criminal cases opened for crimes committed against them.

As previously reported, several videos showing the abuse of Russian prisoners of war were uploaded to the Internet. New York, United States-based international rights organization Human Rights Watch urges Ukrainian authorities to respect the rights of prisoners of war, stop posting videos of captured Russian soldiers on social media.

"Ukrainian authorities should stop posting on social media and messaging apps videos of captured Russian soldiers, publicly showing them, particularly those that show they were insulted or intimidated," Human Rights Watch said in a statement posted on its website in March.

"Such treatment of prisoners of war, or POWs, violates protections under the Geneva Conventions, which are intended to ensure the dignified treatment of captured combatants on all sides," the statement said.

On March 10, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Interior, "to express concern about social media channels and government-run websites, which upload images and videos of prisoners of war.