Former Ukrainian soldiers presented by Russia as ‘volunteers’ in possible violation of international law, according to new report
CNN reported that the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti claimed a group of former Ukrainian soldiers, including prisoners of war, were presented as “volunteers” to fight on the front lines for Russia in a possible violation of international law.
The claim came after the agency released a video showing several dozen Ukrainians dressed in combat fatigues and carrying rifles taking the oath of office to Russia in a ceremony. The total size of the unit is unclear.
According to RIA Novosti, the men are “volunteers.” However, CNN cannot independently verify whether they joined the unit voluntarily or under duress, as Ukraine has not commented on the report.
The news agency claims that the men are members of what it called “the first battalion of former soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a volunteer battalion named after Bogdan Khmelnitsky.” RIA reported in February that the battalion had been formed “from prisoners of war of Ukrainian troops” in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), in the Ukrainian-occupied eastern Donetsk region.
Coercing prisoners of war to serve in Russian forces may be a violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, adopted by all nations, according to the International Red Cross. The Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also claimed that if Russian authorities coerced Ukrainian prisoners of war into joining a ‘volunteer’ formation to fight in Ukraine, it would constitute an apparent violation of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War.
Ukraine and Russia remain locked in a war that is entering its third winter without the forces of either country being able to prevail. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently objected to his commander-in-chief’s characterization of the state of the war, stating that he does not believe the situation is at a stalemate.
The situation highlights the ongoing and complex conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the difficulties in reaching a resolution.