Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Tuesday condemned Russian soldiers for a new war crime, accusing them of executing an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war with a sword, his hands tied with adhesive tape. The allegations were reported by EFE and Unian.

The case became public after a photograph surfaced on social media showing a man in Ukrainian military uniform lying on the ground, with a sword inscribed with “For Kursk” embedded in his chest. The inscription likely refers to Ukraine’s actions in the Russian region of Kursk.

“The level of barbarity and their (Russians’) thirst for blood is immeasurable. Such actions are a blatant violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war,” Lubinets stated on his Telegram channel.

The Ukrainian Ombudsman emphasized that such executions aim to demoralize Ukrainian society.

According to Kyiv media, the Ukrainian POW was executed in Novohrodovka, Donetsk region, where Russian forces have been advancing and gaining ground.

Lubinets also criticized the international community’s alleged inaction, announcing that he had sent letters to the Red Cross and the UN, urging them to investigate this “new violation of human rights by Russia.”

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has reported numerous cases of cold-blooded executions of Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered or were taken prisoner. Some of these executions have been captured on video and shared on social media.