Moscow Condemns UN’s ‘Inadequate’ Reaction to Execution of Russian POWs: Foreign Ministry
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Moscow is extremely dissatisfied with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk’s response to the shooting of Russian prisoners of war (POWs) in Donbas, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik on Tuesday. “To say that we are not satisfied with such a reaction of the main UN human rights defender is to say nothing. We consider the high commissioner’s assessment of the atrocities of Ukrainian troops inadequate and his position on this tragedy cynical and unprincipled,” Vershinin said. There has been no further reaction from the OHCHR, the diplomat noted. 
WorldReport: Ukrainian Soldiers Involved in Murder of 10 Russian POWs Tied to NATO-Linked Brigade21 November, 23:01 GMT”Despite this, we will continue to seek from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as from the relevant OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] structures, a principled and harsh condemnation of the actions of Ukrainian executioners,” Vershinin added. A video circulated on the internet in November showing what appeared to be execution of Russian soldiers taken prisoner by Ukrainian soldiers. Russia sent it to all relevant international rights organizations, including Turk’s office, the OHCHR. On November 25, Turk said that the incident should be investigated to the fullest and those responsible should be brought to justice. On November 18, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into the execution of Russian POWs by the Ukrainian military. On November 19, UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the United Nations was calling for a full investigation of all reported human rights violations related to the execution of Russian POWs by Ukrainians.
