The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets appealed to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to clarify all the circumstances of the killing of Ukrainian soldiers by Russians who agreed to surrender in the Zenit fortified area in Avdiivka.

According to Lubinets, due to the complete encirclement of the Zenit stronghold, the command decided to contact the coordination center and organizations that are negotiating with Russia. He said that the dialogue was about providing assistance to Ukrainian severely wounded unarmed soldiers, in accordance with international laws.

He noted that he had sent letters to the ICRC and the UN to record the war crime and clarify all the circumstances. He stated that this is not the first time "when Russia grossly violates the norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions by killing prisoners of war."

According to the ombudsman, the Russians told the coordinators of the process that they agreed to evacuate the wounded Ukrainian defenders and provide them with medical care, and later to exchange them. At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers were ordered to save their lives.

"What happened after these agreements, we saw in a video released by the enemy from the captured Zenit position. The families of the defenders recognized Heorhiy Pavlov, Andriy Dubnytsky, and Ivan Zhytnyk as dead. They were also accompanied by Oleksandr Zinchuk and Mykola Savosyk, who were shot by Russian soldiers. Information about the sixth soldier has not yet been confirmed," Lubinets wrote.

Lubinets added that the Ukrainian defenders were leaving Avdiivka under continuous bombardment, shelling of evacuation routes and cars. Some seriously wounded and killed soldiers were evacuated. However, there was no chance for repeated attempts to evacuate due to the large-scale Russian offensive.