Key points
- Russia is forming combat units with Ukrainian prisoners of war, violating the Geneva Convention.
- The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the creation of the “first Ukrainian volunteer special purpose brigade” from prisoners and former Ukrainian military personnel.
- The brigade was formed by combining several units – the Kryvonos and Berest battalions, and the Matrosov, Pushkar, and Slobidsky squads.
- ISW emphasizes that the involvement of prisoners of war in combat is a war crime.
- A similar practice was first recorded in November 2022, and most recently in December 2023, when the Bohdan Khmelnytsky battalion operated as part of the so-called “DPR” MIA “Kaskad”.
Russia is forming combat units with Ukrainian prisoners of war, which is a violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Russian Ministry of Defense’s Volunteer Corps stated that it had created the “first Ukrainian volunteer special purpose brigade”. According to the occupiers, it includes Ukrainian prisoners of war and former Ukrainian military personnel who allegedly switched to the Kremlin’s side.
The brigade was created by combining several irregular units – the Kryvonos and Berest battalions, as well as the Matrosov, Pushkar, and Slobidsky squads.
ISW emphasizes that the involvement of prisoners of war in combat is a war crime.
This practice was first recorded in November 2022. Most recently, the Bohdan Khmelnytsky battalion with prisoners of war operated as part of the so-called “DPR” MIA “Kaskad” formation in the western part of Donetsk region in December 2023.
The Geneva Convention directly prohibits the involvement of prisoners of war in service or any activity on behalf of the state that holds them, as well as keeping them in a zone where they may be affected by fire, or involving them in hazardous work.
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