GENEVA — U.N.-backed human rights experts said Friday they have gathered new evidence of “horrific” torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war by their Russian jailers, saying such practices could amount to war crimes. The Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said human rights violations have been widespread since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to … Read more
Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners Wednesday, exactly a week after Russia accused Ukraine of shooting down a military plane that Moscow claimed was carrying dozens of Ukrainian POWs being transported to a swap later that day. Ukraine has not denied shooting down the aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-76, but says that Russia has provided … Read more
KYIV, Ukraine — Officials in Ukraine said Russia has provided no credible evidence to back its claims that Ukrainian forces shot down a military transport plane that Moscow says was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be swapped for Russian POWs. The Ukrainian agency that deals with prisoner exchanges said late Friday that … Read more
KYIV — Russia has not provided evidence that Ukrainian prisoners of war were aboard a military plane that was downed Wednesday, Ukrainian officials told relatives of captured soldiers Friday, as the warring countries continued to trade blame over the murky incident. Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, met Friday with relatives … Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged Friday to make public the findings of Moscow’s investigation into the crash of a transport plane that he alleged Kyiv’s forces shot down despite having been informed that Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board. In his first public remarks on Wednesday’s crash, Putin repeated previous comments by Russian officials … Read more
Comment on this storyCommentAdd to your saved storiesSave RIGA, Latvia — A Russian military plane crashed on Wednesday in the western Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, killing 74 people on board, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that also accused Ukraine of shooting down the aircraft. The ministry said the plane, … Read more
Former President Donald Trump returned to mocking the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, alluding to the former prisoner-of-war’s broken limbs to explain Republicans’ failure to pass health care legislation. Speaking to supporters Saturday in Newton, Iowa, Trump noted McCain’s 2018 vote that sank GOP efforts to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic law, known … Read more
KYIV, UKRAINE – 2023/12/17: A protester draped in an AZOV flag at Sophia Square to support Ukrainian prisoners of war. ‘Don’t be silent! Captivity kills!’ action is held to remind people about the Ukrainian POWs, particularly the defenders of Mariupol, who have been held captive for more than 1.5 years. According to Ukrainian authorities 4,337 … Read more
YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed Thursday to exchange prisoners of war and work toward signing a peace treaty in what the European Union hailed as a major step toward peace in the long-troubled region. The two countries said in a joint statement they “share the view that there is a historical chance to … Read more