Russia is allegedly using Ukrainian POWs (prisoners of war) to fight against Ukraine. This was revealed by RIA Novosti; a Russian state news agency.
RIA Novosti shared this alarming information on Tuesday, Nov. 7, claiming that the Russian military is sending these Ukrainian prisoners of war to the front lines in Russia's homeland.
Here are other details provided by RIA Novosti about Russia's usage of Ukrainian POWs.
Ukrainian Prisoners of War Allegedly Used by Russia Against Ukraine
According to ABC News' latest report, RIA Novosti even released videos showing that Ukrainian POWs are joining Russia's growing forces against Ukraine.
However, the authenticity of the state news agency's report could not be confirmed as of writing. This means that it is unclear if the Ukrainian POWs were forced or by their own will joined the Russian military.
It is also unclear if Russia is really sending Ukrainian POWs to fight Ukraine on Moscow's side. But, RIA Novosti claimed that these Ukrainian prisoners already joined the country's battalion.
Business Insider reported that the Russian state news company was specifically referring to the Bogdan Khmelnistky battalion, which is expected to be deployed to war soon.
RIA Novosti claimed that other prisoners from various penal colonies were also trained by the Russian military to join the mentioned battalion.
Sources familiar with the matter believe that the military training activities for POWs were already completed, which means that the troops will be sent into battle. Ukrainians and other prisoners of war are expected to fight for Russia under the larger Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) "Kaskad" information.
Are Ukrainian POWs Being Forced by Russia?
Ukrainian soldier prisoners-of-war are lined up before being forced by pro-Russian rebels to search through the wreckage of the destroyed Donetsk airport for weaponry and dead bodies on February 26, 2015 in Donetsk, Ukraine. The Donetsk airport has been one of the most heavily fought over pieces of land between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian rebels.
RIA Novosti claimed that Ukrainian prisoners of war swore allegiance to Russia. If this isn't true, then forcing POWs to join the Russian military in its fight against Ukraine is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Military enthusiasts explained that it is illegal to expose prisoners of war to combat or to work in dangerous/unhealthy environments forcibly or not.
"Russian authorities might claim they are recruiting them on a voluntary basis," said Human Rights Watch researcher Yulia Gorbunova, who focuses on the Russia-Ukraine war.
"But it's hard to imagine a scenario where a prisoner of war's decision could be taken truly voluntarily, given the situation of coercive custody," she added.
Related Article: Russia Pulls Out From Treaty, Prompts NATO To Freeze Cold War-Era Security Pact
