Russian forces execute five civilians in Donetsk region

The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

The investigation established that the killings occurred on October 20.

A married couple and their elder son were hiding in the basement of a private house, while their younger son had gone to a neighbor's to fetch water.

Soon after, Russian soldiers stormed the shelter where the family was hiding and began interrogating them about the whereabouts of Ukrainian defenders in the village. After receiving no information, they left.

Later, one of the occupiers returned and opened fire on the civilians with an automatic weapon. Believing all three to be dead, he left the scene.

In fact, one person – the mother – survived with a gunshot wound to the jaw.

Worried about her younger son, she went to a neighboring basement, where she found his body alongside those of their neighbors – a 62-year-old woman and her 30-year-old son.

The injured woman managed to reach Ukrainian-controlled territory, where she was hospitalized and provided testimony about the war crime committed by Russian forces.

Law enforcement officials have opened criminal proceedings for violating the laws and customs of war resulting in civilian deaths (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

A pre-trial investigation is underway to establish all the circumstances of the war crime and identify the Russian servicemen responsible.